


Fire and Spirit

by serpentguy



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Action, F/M, Harems, Open Relationships, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Stronger Lucy, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-14
Updated: 2015-07-09
Packaged: 2018-04-04 08:52:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 49,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4131583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serpentguy/pseuds/serpentguy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Lucy's mother died, she spent years trapped in a mansion with a distant father. That was when the Celestial Dragon Annika appeared to her, and taught her the secrets of the Celestial Dragon Slayer. Seven years later, she meets up with Natsu to search for their adopted parents together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Not a Celestial Spirit Mage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

Celestial Spirit Magic is, in many ways, the purest and most orderly form of Magic. Celestial Spirits are Magical beings from an alternate dimension, but a Celestial Mage is capable of breaking the boundaries between worlds using Magical totems known generally as Gate Keys. A Mage enters into a mutually beneficial contract with a Celestial Spirit, allowing the Celestial Spirit to cross the dimensions to give aid in return for the Mage's Magical energy, which acts to sustain and strengthen the Spirit. As the connection between Spirit and Mage grows, the contract becomes more flexible; but the rules are nevertheless clearly defined and enforced strictly by the Celestial Spirit King. This makes Celestial Spirit Mages, on the whole, law-abiding and compassionate individuals.

Lucy Heartfilia was not a Celestial Spirit Mage.

* * *

"What a lovely town," Lucy muttered to herself, staring out over the port town of Hargeon. Seagulls chirped overhead, and the smell of fish wafted everywhere. Lucy rested her head in her hands as she leant on the park railing, watching the marina thoughtfully. "But it would get boring after a while," she decided finally.

"Hmph…" Aquarius scoffed moodily, folding her arms across her dark blue bikini top. "I've seen better."

Lucy smirked at that, turning to look at the Celestial Spirit. The royal blue mermaid was sitting at the edge of a large fountain, her long tail resting in two feet of water, moodily splashing water with casual swipes of her tail fin. A small crowd had gathered before to gawp at the mermaid, but that hadn't lasted long before Aquarius chased the townspeople away with gushes of water.

"Stop being miserable," Lucy teased gently. "I swear; you're never going to get a boyfriend if you keep on acting moody."

The vein on Aquarius forehead bulged so hard it threatened to explode. That little joke of Lucy's never failed to hit a nerve.

"I told you I've _got_ a boyfriend!" The mermaid screeched loudly.

"Oh _sure_ ," Lucy grinned, holding her hands to form quotation marks. "Your _boyfriend_. Tell me, is he here now?"

"He is not imaginary!" Aquarius snarled, clutching the side of the fountain so tightly the marble cracked. "His name is Scorpio! He's a great boyfriend! He's handsome, and brings me flowers and crafts sand sculptures for me!"

Lucy was too busy laughing to pay any attention. Aquarius stared daggers at the Mage, before slumping her shoulders and crossing her arms irritably.

"Why am I even here?" Aquarius sighed, staring at the idle town.

Lucy shrugged. "I was bored, and needed some company," she replied simply. "That train journey really took it out of me. Plus, you're such fun to wind up."

Aquarius grunted. "I am _suffocating_ just being here."

Lucy rolled her eyes. Celestial Spirits were creatures of Magic, and needed the Magic of their own dimension to survive. In this world, a Spirit would eventually suffocate, much like a fish out of water. Still, it took a long time for Spirits to run out of energy, particularly if the summoner provided their own Magic to sustain the Spirit. Aquarius was in no danger at all.

"Don't be such a flat tire," Lucy scolded, still staring at the view over the town. "Relax and enjoy the sun."

Lucy sighed softly, looking at the town critically. " _He's_ here somewhere, I'm sure of it," she mused, sniffing the air gently. "The Fire Dragon Slayer… Salamander…"

Aquarius didn't respond straight away. The Spirit looked down at Lucy with a frown. "If you don't need me, I should go," the mermaid muttered. "The Celestial Spirit King has been making things difficult for your Spirits recently."

Lucy shrugged. "That old geezer?" She muttered, with a shiver. "He hates my guts. Still, it doesn't matter. _He_ has to follow the rules, and I don't. There's absolutely nothing he can do to hurt me."

Aquarius looked like she was going to say something, but held her tongue. Lucy cast one last glance over the horizon, and made up her mind. "Ok, then. You can go," Lucy said, clicking her fingers. "And try to do something with your hair – you'll attract boys better if you make yourself look nice!"

A glowing light enveloped Aquarius, just as she started screeching out insults at Lucy. Lucy stuck out her tongue cheekily, waving her hand as the Spirit vanished from sight. Lucy chuckled, straightening her sleeveless jacket before walking into the town.

Hargeon was just as quaint and boring as it first appeared. It was old and beautiful, yet covered in the smell of fish. There was a distinct lack of anything Magical; it even used oil-fuelled streetlights rather than Lacrima light crystals. The most excited store was buried in the centre of town, under a sign proclaiming 'Proper Grocer'. Lucy gave the Magic shop a dubious look, before walking inside.

The Magic shop was every bit what Lucy had expected it to be. The owner was an old, chinless man that nevertheless tried to push cheap novelty Magical items onto her. In an obviously non-Magical town like Hargeon, any small Magical item was a small wonder.

"I'm looking for Celestial Spirit Gate Keys," Lucy asked, turning her back on the owner as he tried to sell her a device for changing the colour of the user's clothes. "Any interesting ones."

"Celestial Keys? That's pretty uncommon." The man frowned. "But we do have one…"

He pointed to a small display. A simple, sliver key with a blue figure glinted in the cabinet. For the first time, Lucy was actually surprised. "Ah!" She said excitedly. "The Gate of the Canis Minor Key!"

The shop owner scratched his head. "That's not really strong at all."

"That's alright, I've been looking for it," Lucy said with a large grin. "How much is it?"

"20,000 jewels," he replied simply.

Lucy blinked. She could practically hear her wallet screaming in pain. "I wonder how much it is," she repeated hopefully.

"I said 20,000 jewels."

Lucy was _not_ above unzipping her jacket a bit to expose her large cleavage, and bending over slightly with a sultry look on her face, in order to negotiate a discount. In the end, the price dropped down to 19,000 jewels, much to Lucy's annoyance. Her wallet was crying as she handed him the money, walking away with the silver key in her hand.

"A 1,000 jewel discount?" Lucy growled afterwards, walking down the street while staring at the Key of Canis Minor, the key of the gate of the Celestial Spirit Nikora. She pushed her long blond hair backwards out of her face. "My sex appeal is worth more than 1,000 jewels!"

Lucy was seventeen, yet she had matured quickly. Her body was curvaceous and smooth, and she wore a short blue skirt and black, leather high heeled boots. She had long blond hair that draped over her shoulders, despite a blue ponytail to the right side of her head. Her sleeveless jacket was white and blue and was high cut, but tight enough that it amplified her generous bust. She was used to get stuff for _free_.

Still, the Key of Canis Minor was tightly in her hand, so she couldn't really be angry. It was a small key, weaker than most, but an interesting little Spirit. The silver key glinted in the sun.

"It is a nice key…" She muttered to herself, just before placing the key in her mouth and biting down hard. The silver crunched roughly under her teeth, but then the key snapped and the Magic spilled out filling her mouth with golden light before she swallowed with a large gulp.

She sighed as the Magic flowed through her. "A bit plain," Lucy decided, tasting the Celestial Magic still dancing on her lips. It was a popular key, with almost a mass-produced taste. "But sweet enough."

There wasn't much power in the key, but it was enough for a good energy boost. Lucy felt her muscles become refreshed. With a grin, she extended her hand and clicked her fingers.

A short, stout white creature with bland eyes and a golden horn-like nose popped into existence. The Magic drain was on her was so small she could barely feel it. The Nikola Spirit stood on the ground, trembling while staring around with confusion.

"Pun?" He exclaimed, looking up to Lucy with wide eyes.

"So cute!" She exclaimed, picking up the Spirit in a tight hug. "I'm going to name you Plue! Doesn't that sound cute?"

The Spirit blinked several times. "Puun?" He squeaked in a high pitched voice.

Lucy shook her head. "Nope," she said firmly. "No contracts needed with me. Let's just be friends, alright?"

Plue looked confused, but he was so adorable that Lucy couldn't help but chuckle. She held him tightly as she walked down the street, window shopping idly. Eventually, she passed a group of giggling girls, talking in an excited voice. Lucy stiffened as she paused nonchalantly to listen.

Apparently, Salamander of Fairy Tail had thrown a big party on his boat in the marina.

Lucy grinned, dismissing Plue with a click of her fingers. "That sounds like fun. I wonder if I'm too late…?"

* * *

Natsu groaned as he slumped up against a wall in a back alley covered in dirt. Happy stared upwards at him with a bright smile. Natsu clutched his stomach in pain.

"So hungry…" He gasped. They'd been stuck in for Hargeon for a whole day, without any money for food or a hotel. The guards had chased him away when he tried to eat the fire from the streetlights.

"Aye!" Happy said cheerfully. The small cat had been stealing fish from the stalls all day.

The 'Salamander' that they had heard about turned out to be the wrong person, and then after that the day had just gone downhill. After being assaulted by a gang of angry fangirls, Natsu had spent the rest of the day searching for something to eat. The night was rough, and the morning didn't look any better.

He paused to look at the card with the signature of 'Salamander' that weird guy had given him. It turned out that it was completely worthless. Natsu threw the card into the bin dismissively.

Natsu stretched out on the uncomfortable ground. "Come on…" He muttered eventually. "We've got to get going back to Fairy Tail."

"Ok!" Happy grinned. "I like this town."

"This is a horrible, horrible town," Natsu groaned, walking down the street. He was tired, sore and miserable. "There's absolutely no one nice here."

"Well, at least we've got the train journey next!" Happy said cheerfully.

Natsu stifled a small sob. The very thought of the train was making him sick. "Can't we just fly back to Magnolia?" He asked weakly.

"Would take too long," Happy replied.

The pair walked through a long cobbled street, to the train station at the edge of the town. Natsu sighed. "I've got to beat up Krov for giving me this false lead."

"Aye."

Natsu was uncharacteristically subdued for a while, casting a glance over the town while they approached the train station. "We're going to find Igneel eventually, right Happy?" He asked finally.

"Of course!" Happy replied optimistically. "How many places can a dragon hide, anyways?"

"Yeah…" Natsu muttered, holding his scale-patterned scarf tightly. It had been seven years, but he had never forgotten the sound of Igneel's firm voice, or the way the earth trembled when the dragon laughed. Seven years and absolutely no trace of his adoptive father.

Every unsuccessful dragon hunt always made Natsu miserable.

Happy walked side by side with Natsu, staring at everything with wide, innocent eyes. When Natsu heard the whistle of the train, his face almost turned green with the thought. He sighed in resignation, collapsing on a bench while the train stormed into the station. With a screech, the train came to a halt, and the station filled with people.

"Did you hear about that party last night?" A girl said excitedly to her friend nearby, just loud enough for Natsu to overhear. "Salamander hosted this big party on his ship. I really wanted to go, but maybe we can still catch him today."

"Salamander?" Her friend asked with confusion.

"You don't know about him? He's that great mage staying in town," She answered enthusiastically. "He's from the famous guild, Fairy Tail."

Natsu's body stiffened. "Fairy Tail?" He muttered in confusion, thinking back to the obnoxious man he met the other day. He had been too disappointed to give him much thought afterwards. Perhaps he should have.

The station cleared as everyone departed on the train. Natsu never moved. "Fairy Tail…" He muttered with a frown.

* * *

"Hi there!" Lucy said brightly to the guards standing in front of the large yacht. "Is this Salamander's boat? I heard he's in town."

The two men shared a glance and a sly smirk. They were both big men, with bulging muscles. One of them had a scar over his nose and a slimy grin. The other was mostly bald with a hooked nose, licking his lips nastily.

"The party's over, darling," The scarred man sneered, blocking the gangway with his foot. "Scram…"

Lucy pouted. "Aww… Really? I really want to talk to Salamander. I think he'd want to talk to me, too."

The two men looked at each other, and then back and Lucy. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. Like most large breasted girls, she was used to men staring. It still bothered her when they gawped at her chest, but she had learned to live with it. Still, the way these two ran their eyes over her made Lucy feel like she needed a shower.

"Well, Salamander did say he never wanted to be disturbed…" The bald one muttered doubtfully.

"Still, I think that for _her_ he could make an exception," The scarred man replied with a meaningful glance. Lucy's eyes narrowed. "Come on board, darling…"

He moved his leg out the way. Lucy hesitated before stepping onto the ship, but boat was anchored and lashed to the harbour. She would be fine so long as it wasn't moving. Slowly, Lucy walked up the gangway.

One of the men left his post and escorted her, his large, sweaty hand dropping onto her shoulders. Lucy stopped. "I can find my own way," she said, darkly.

"Oh, what sort of gentlemen wouldn't escort a girl like you?" The man sneered. "I insist."

"No, _I_ insist," she replied coldly. "Get your hand off me."

His grip tightened uncomfortable. The harbour was silent and empty. Lucy felt the distinctive feel of a metal blade against her back. "Get on the ship, darling," he whispered coldly, pressing the knife against her skin a bit harder.

Lucy didn't move. She turned around and smirked. "It's wrong to hurt someone so much weaker than you are, you know?" She muttered, ponderingly.

"I won't hurt you if you get on the boat," he promised with a snigger.

"I was talking to myself," Lucy retorted. "But I suppose I'll make an exception for you buffoons."

The first one didn't even have time to blink. Suddenly, Lucy twisted out of his grasp, and brought her leg upwards, her foot slamming into his crotch with such force his body lifted off the ground. He squealed with a high-pitched shriek that no grown man should ever be able to make.

His knife clattered onto the walkway. The second man reacted quickly, jumping towards Lucy angrily. His huge body crashed down on her, trying to force her to the ground. Lucy's hands were suddenly clutching his, effortlessly holding back huge men.

The shock was clear on his face. His huge muscles were screaming; trying to fight against the iron grip of girl so skinny he should have been able to use her as a toothpick.

"You know, it's rude to manhandle a lady," Lucy growled angrily, slamming her knee upwards while dragging the man towards her like a ragdoll. Her knee slammed into his stomach so hard that his eyes bulged, just as Lucy easily heaved his body up and threw him into the ocean.

She was scowling as she walked onto the deck of the ship. This wasn't right. She heard rumours about Natsu Dragneel, the Salamander, of Fairy Tail. This wasn't him.

On the ship it was quiet. It was a large, decorative, blue yacht with at least four floors. There were still tables and drinks littering the deck from the party, but no one around. Carefully, Lucy headed below deck, walking through the narrow corridors, searching for answers.

After a while, she reached a door, looking through the porthole at a large room with wood floors and light blue walls. There was one man sitting on chair behind a curtain, and another standing in front of a fireplace. They were talking quietly, and Lucy inched closer to listen.

"So…" The man standing by the fireplace muttered. He was tall and slim with short, spikey blue hair, and a mildly rectangular face. His clothes were fancy and expensive, and he had a tattoo over his right eyebrow. "Care for a drink, Horace?"

"I think not," the other man muttered. He was short and stubby, with a black overcoat and a dark frown. "Is it safe to be here, Bora?"

A flicker of annoyance crossed Bora's face. "Don't call me Bora," he warned. "As far as anyone is concerned, I am Salamander, Fire Mage of Fairy Tail. And yes, it is perfectly safe. It will take this dumb town days to realise what happened, and even longer to suspect that it was actually 'Salamander'."

Horace grunted sceptically. Bora frowned and continued. "I called you here to offer you a job," he muttered darkly. "My men are all loyal, but this… enterprise needs to expand. I need Magical muscle, strong Mages that know how to follow orders. Are you interested in a job?"

"What's in it for me?" Horace said cautiously. Lucy had to press her body against the door to listen.

Bora grinned. "Right now, there are three dozen young girls sleeping peacefully in my hold," he said smugly. "All young, all beautiful, and all very… malleable. Can you imagine the profit we'll make when we reach Bosco? Join me now and a cut of it is yours."

 _Slavers_ , Lucy realised suddenly. Everything clicked into place. She could feel the outrage start to burn up inside of her.

"Alright," Horace agreed after a moment's hesitation. "I'm in. But I expect a large cut. I'm a first-class Celestial Spirit Mage with five units. My skills don't come cheap."

Bora frowned. "You're a Celestial Mage?" He muttered. "I thought only registered and legal Mages could form contracts."

Horace snorted. "That shows how much you know," he said derisively, spinning a large key ring around his fingers. "There are criminal Celestial Spirits willing to make contracts with criminals. It all depends on the user."

Lucy's eyes widened as she glimpsed the keys on Horace's fingers. She glimpsed silver, and bronze. Her mouth started to water. _It's time to end this now_ , Lucy thought firmly, _I'm going to beat these guys up and rescue the slaves_.

 _And then I'm going to take those keys_ , she thought with a smirk, _because I deserve a reward too_.

Suddenly, there was a clatter from the room. "Boss!" A man shouted, pulling back the curtain and charging in from the other entrance.

"I told you I was busy!" Bora snapped angrily.

The man gulped. "Sorry, but it's urgent. Two of our guys were beaten out front. We've got an intruder on the ship!"

Bora's expression changed as he stormed upwards. Lucy slunk down behind the door. "What? Who would dare to break into–?"

The door Lucy was leaning against suddenly pulled open. Lucy was caught off-guard, and ended up tumbling into the room. Bora's voice vanished as the young girl fell at his feet. The room turned deathly quiet with shock and awkwardness.

It took a few seconds for Lucy to compose herself. Bora was staring at her with wide, bulging eyes. _Well, that wasn't the entrance I wanted to make_ , she thought dumbly. Still she recovered quickly, mostly out of embarrassment.

"You!" Lucy shouted angrily, jumping to her feet and brushing her hair away to hide her humiliation. "I know what you're doing here!"

The men in the room shared an awkward glance. Bora forced himself to smile. "Heh, I have no idea what you're talking about," he said charmingly, looking Lucy up and down. "You must be a fan, right? Well, I'm the great Salamander of Fairy Tail, and–"

Lucy felt a weak Charm Magic wash over her. She swatted the sensation away easily. "Enough! You're a slaver!" She sniffed the air, just to make sure. "And you're not the real Salamander!"

Bora was quiet for half a second, before turning to his henchmen. "Get us out of here," he ordered.

"Already on it, boss."

"I'm going to take you down right now, and you're never going to…" Lucy proclaimed loudly, dropping into fighting stance, but then her ears caught up with her brain. The dread was instant. "…Wait, what did you mean ' _Already on it_ '?"

With a sudden lurch, she felt the anchor rise and the sails drop. Her stomach plummeted in fear. "Oh crap…" Lucy cursed, just as the yacht started to rock. The world started to spin. Her eyes became unfocused. Her body collapsed to the ground helplessly against the motion sickness.

Bora watched quietly. Lucy's pale skin turned green. It took a few seconds, but then the slaver started to chuckle.

"Well, that was weird," he announced loudly.

More of his henchmen were running into the room, lifting Lucy off the ground by both arms. They were laughing, and the yacht was rocking on the waves. Lucy tried to curse, but she was too busy stopping herself from vomiting. Her arms weren't working anymore. "Looks like we have an extra slave, boys!"

Horace was frowning as he stared at Lucy. The short man scratched his head, still fiddling with his keys. "She seems familiar somehow…" He mused, but everyone else ignored him.

Bora's hands clutched Lucy's face, examining her critically. Through the portholes, the yacht was quickly leaving the marina. "You're a pretty one," he said finally. "I don't know what you're doing here, but you'll fetch a good price."

 _As soon as the boat stops_ , Lucy promised herself angrily, unable to talk from motion sickness. Her teeth clenched furiously. There were two men holding her upwards tightly, her body struggling uselessly while the motion caused her head to spin. _As soon as the boat stops moving, then I'll show you what I'm doing here…_

"Get the chains ready," Bora ordered to his men, strolling over towards the fireplace. "But first… a slave needs to be branded." He pulled out a burning iron from the fire, glowing red and steaming. Bora looked at Lucy unsympathetically. "It'll be a little hot," he admitted. "Just bear with it."

Bora paused, and then glanced at Horace. The short man stood with hands in his overcoat, staying quiet. Bora handed Horace the burning iron. "You do it," Bora ordered. "Consider this your initiation."

Horace frowned but didn't complain. He took the iron from Bora quietly, looking at Lucy with bored, disinterested eyes. "Where do you want it?" He asked, holding up the brand.

"For her?" Bora mused. "Make it somewhere painful."

Horace hesitated for a second, and then settled on Lucy's right cheek. His hand was steady as the burning iron moved closer to her face. Lucy's heart was pounding, but the motion sickness left her helpless. "You…" Lucy spat through clenched teeth. "You are the worst Mage ever!"

Just as the iron was inches away from her cheeks, the room exploded. The wooden roof collapsed in a hail of splinters as a figure slammed downwards with furious force. Suddenly, Lucy felt herself drop fall to the ground, but she still managed to catch a scent that she recognised instinctively. The scent of another Dragon Slayer…

"…Natsu…!?" She gasped, struggling to focus on the man that had come crashing down from the sky. A cold killing intent filled the room.

"That brat from yesterday…?" Bora growled, aiming on Natsu as the debris cleared. For half a second, Natsu stood perfectly still, staring daggers at Bora.

And then, time reasserted itself. Natsu cheeks bulged as he had to stop himself from barfing. "Nope, I can't take it," Natsu groaned, collapsing to his knees.

If Lucy had been able to move, she would face-palmed. " _Come on_! What did you expect to happen there?!" She growled, still clutching her stomach weakly.

"Wha-What's going on?" Bora shouted in confusion, looking up to the hole in his ship. "Why would a brat fall from the sky?!"

Horace was by his side, dropping the iron in the confusion. His Celestial Gate Keys were tightly in hand. "They just keep on coming! What's wrong with this ship?"

Natsu groaned weakly. Through spinning eyes, Lucy managed to glimpse wings and a small shape flying downwards. There was a flying cat hovering over the ship. Either Lucy was hallucinating or fate was just messing with her now. Either way, she was desperate enough to accept it.

"What's happening here?" Happy cried in confusion, looking between Lucy and Bora.

"You!" Lucy ordered, in a sickly voice. "Get me off this ship right now!"

"But what–" Happy squealed.

"NOW!" Lucy screeched, while everyone else was still trying to recover. Happy looked panicked for a second.

"Aye, ma'am!" The cat shrieked, wings blurring as he shot downwards. Suddenly, Lucy felt a tail wrap around her waist and her body lift off the ground. "Who are you?"

"Talk later, run now!" Lucy ordered.

Bora seemed to recover first. "I won't let you get away!" He screamed, raising his hand in the air. Purple flames blazed around his fingertips. "HELL PROMINENCE!"

Suddenly, the fire exploded from his arm in a huge, scorching-hot laser-like beam blasting upwards into the sky. The small cat shot through the air agilely, swinging Lucy so closely to the purple flames she felt the heat scold the back of her heels.

"Don't let that woman get away!" Bora screeched. "It'd be a problem if she reports to the council members!"

"I'm on it!" Horace shouted, selecting out a bronze key. Men were running everywhere in panic, but the Celestial Spirit Mage seemed perfectly calm. "Open! Gate of the Revolver!"

With a flash of smoke, a huge, oversized gun appeared in Horace's hand. The weapon was pitch black, and loaded itself while Horace took aim at the retreating shape of Lucy and Happy. Other men had pulled out ordinary pistols and were shooting at Lucy furiously, the bullets whizzing passed her.

"Drop me into the water!" Lucy shouted, just as Horace pulled the trigger. Happy never needed to be told twice. His transformation effect was almost over, anyways. A huge explosion burst from the Spirit revolver, just as Lucy and Happy tumbled into the ocean.

Back on the ship, Bora stared at the air while smoke covered everything. Horace paused, while his gun reloaded itself.

Natsu struggled to pull himself to his feet, sweat dripping from his brow. He was glaring at Bora furiously. "Fai…ry… Tail…" Natsu snarled in a choked voice. "…You…"

"Did you get her?" Bora demanded to Horace, summoning purple flames in his hand. Horace had his gun aimed at the ocean, waiting for any sign of movement.

There was a moment's quiet as the smoke cleared, followed by a dull chuckle. Lucy slowly pulled herself to her feet, Magic pulsing around her body.

"Oh, that's better," she chuckled, sighing in relief. "I was worried there for a second."

The yacht was still pushing forward, slowly passing Lucy by. She could practically hear their jaws hit the floor as Lucy stood up straight.

"She's… walking on water…?" Bora muttered in shock, watching Lucy casual stroll over the light waves, walking after the ship. The water under her feet was pulsing upwards, forming an almost solid platform for her to stand on. The air around her glittered with Magic.

"She's a Mage," Horace murmured, his dark brow furling. He could feel the type of Magic she was using, but he just couldn't understand it.

With the weak wind, Lucy could easily keep pace with the yacht by walking. Bora's fire flared as he charged for another attack. Horace took aim with his gun. Lucy smirked.

Paddling furiously to stay afloat, Happy gaped at Lucy. "Whoa…" The cat stammered.

"Oh, this is just a bit of Aquarius' Water Magic," Lucy explained with a smug smile. Without the motion of the ship, her strength was already returning.

Horace's ears prickled at the name. "Aquarius?!" He exclaimed, staring at Lucy critically. He couldn't see any keys. "You're a Celestial Mage?"

Lucy slowly extended her hand. "Oh, you have _no_ idea," she murmured, just before she clicked her fingers. The air shimmered.

Bora unleashed his flames in a furious blast. Horace fired his gun. Both explosions were suddenly blocked by torrent of water rushing protectively in front of Lucy. A figure burst of ocean; her long hair flowing freely and shimmering tail scales glittering in the sun. Aquarius glared with annoyance, water still gushing out her urn.

"Aquarius!" Lucy ordered loudly. The ocean started to swirl madly in huge typhoon. " _Smash_ that ship against the coast!"

Aquarius snorted, but there was no arguing with Lucy's tone. Lucy's Magic meshed with Aquarius' and suddenly the waves were pounding from her body. The ocean roared as huge avalanches of water crashed into the yacht, tearing through the hull and heaving the boat upwards with a groan of wood.

The ocean spun upwards, spinning the yacht around like a toy before crashing it towards the marina with such force that the ship gouged a hole in the shoreline.

Debris went everywhere. The power nearly snapped the yacht in half. The harbour was devastated. Lucy grinned, floating to shore on a wave.

"Thank you, Aquarius," she muttered coolly, dismissing the spirit with a click of her fingers. "I'll take it from here."

She stepped on to the beach and walked three steps before realising her mistake. "Oops…" She said guilty, looking at the hull of the ship. There were several soaked women crawling out of a gash on the side of debris. "I forgot there were prisoners on-board. My bad."

Coughing as he pulled himself onto shore, Happy glared at Lucy in shock. She hung head in shame. "You monster!" Happy cried.

Bora staggered upwards, glancing around the ruins of his ship disbelief. He was standing on what used to be a wall, while around him the ship continued to collapse. Water soaked everything, ruining his fancy clothing and drenching his cloak.

"What's…" Bora gasped weakly. "…What's going on?!"

His men rallied around him, spilling out onto the beach. Already, the townsfolk were running out to stop and stare at the shipwrecked. Bora felt his breaths become shallow as he glared at his ruined ship, scattered in pieces on the coast.

"No…" He muttered in wide-eyed disbelief. "This is impossible, it can't happen like this…"

With a dull creak, a large piece of debris creaked upwards. "It stopped," Natsu muttered simply, heaving an enormous lump of wood out of the way. "The rocking stopped."

The beach turned silent. The sun was bright in the sky, but even birds went dead as Natsu focused on Bora with a dark glare. The fake Salamander looked panicked. Already his slaves were escaping. It wouldn't be long before the Rune Knights showed up…

"You!" Bora screamed at Natsu, fire flaring around him. "You did this! You and that girl are working together!"

Next to him, Horace scrambled to his feet. The short man was soaked to the bone, yet still managed to keep a hold of his keys. "Bora!" Horace shouted. "This wasn't part of the deal!"

"Shut up!" Bora snapped. "You're part of this too now! Help me fight my way out!" He paused. "And don't call me Bora! I am Salamander of Fairy Tail!"

Natsu's body stiffened. The henchmen were rallying around Bora. "You're a Mage of Fairy Tail?" Natsu demanded.

"That's right!" Bora screeched, just as two of his henchmen launched themselves at Natsu. "I'm a world-famous Mage, so you better run you brat –"

The anger flared from Natsu. The fury was so intense his shoulders were shaking. Two large men tried to jump him, but then Natsu's hand moved so fast it blurred. The swipe was so powerful it took them both to ground.

"I'm Natsu of Fairy Tail!" He bellowed furiously. "And I've never seen _you_ before!"

The shock sent tremors through the group. The killing intent took weaker men to their knees. Involuntarily, Bora stumbled backwards. "I don't care if you're a bastard or a good person…" Natsu growled. " _I won't forgive you fo_ _r using our name_!"

"I knew it!" Lucy shouted loudly, rushing to Natsu's side. "You're Natsu Dragneel, the Fire Dragon Slayer, right?"

"Huh?" Natsu frowned, glaring at Lucy with confusion. "Do I know you?"

She shook her head. "No, but I've been searching for you for a while," she said happily.

Natsu looked confused, but Lucy just motioned to Bora and Horace. "Talk later, fight now," she said firmly, with a bright smile. "You take that Fire Mage. The Celestial Mage is all _mine_."

Horace pulled himself to his feet, glaring at Lucy darkly. "All yours?" He growled. "Don't think you can take me, _girl_! I'm a first-class Celestial Mage!" He stared at Lucy darkly. "And you have the Gate of the Water Bearer Key on you somewhere, don't you? I'm going to take that key!"

"Fool," Lucy mocked, sticking out her tongue.

He growled, thrusting a silver key forward. "Open! Gate of the Outlaw! Attack!"

With a flash of light, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him. It was a large Spirit dressed as cowboy, with a red tunic and large rattlesnake skin boots. The outlaw's face was hidden under a wide cowboy hat, and a dark balaclava.

"Kill her!" Horace ordered.

"Yes, boss!" As quick as lightning, the Spirit drew two pistols and pulled the trigger. Before she could even blink, two huge chunks of earth launched from each gun and exploded towards Lucy with pinpoint accuracy.

She was smirking even as the rocks smashed against her. Dust covered everything. Horace's face looked triumphant for a while, until Lucy's figure appeared from the dust.

"As if…" Lucy muttered, taking a step forward. Her clothes weren't even dirty.

The outlaw dropped his guns in shock. "It's _her_ …" The Spirit muttered, his voice thick with fear. "I'm sorry, boss, but I can't beat her…"

With a flash, the Spirit disappeared. Horace gulped fearfully. Lucy kept on walking forward, her pace increasing. "What are you?!" He screamed.

Natsu looked at Lucy with shock, faint realisation in his eyes.

"The Celestial Dragon…" Lucy muttered, breaking into a run. "The only creature that cross freely between the worlds; who has dominion over all Celestial Spirits; the dragon whose roar can split dimensions…!"

Horace took a step backwards, fumbling as he picked out another silver key. "Open!" He proclaimed. "The Gate of the Shield!"

The air flashed. Another Spirit appeared, this one so huge it blocked the path. The Spirit looked like a huge teddy bear, but it was immensely fat, with a stomach made out of solid iron. Lucy never even seemed to notice the Spirit; instead she just kept on running. As she hit the wall of iron, her body shimmered. And then she just phased straight through.

Horace's eyes bulged as Lucy rematerialized on the other side of the shield. Lucy took a deep breath.

"Celestial Dragon's…" She screamed. Her body glittered with Celestial Magic. "… _Roar_!"

Brilliant white light spilled out of her mouth. There wasn't even time to scream. The beach exploded in light, so powerful it gouged a crater into the earth, cutting through the ruins of the ship. In an instant, Horace and a dozen men vanished from sight.

The light was still glittering around Lucy, as if there were stars twinkling on her body. Her blond hair shone as she turned to a stunned Natsu. "Did you think you were the only one?" She asked with a smirk.

He didn't respond for a second. Natsu looked momentarily dumbfounded, but then Bora launched a furious fireball at Lucy and Natsu's battle instincts kicked in. With a blur of speed, he was suddenly blocking the path of fireball. The purple flames were so furious they scorched the earth.

Slowly, Natsu took a deep breath, swallowing the fire with one huge gulp. Bora's bottom jaw dropped open. Natsu's body shivered. Lucy grinned widely.

"Are you really a Fire Mage…?" He muttered with an angry glance to Bora. The fake Salamander looked like he was trying to say something, but his mouth just kept on opening and closing helplessly. "I've never tasted such awful fire…"

Natsu cast a lingering glance at Lucy, before drawing his body back with a huge breath of air. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" He screamed, and burning torrents of flames gushed from his throat.

Lucy burst out laughing. She had finally found another Dragon Slayer, someone else to help her search for missing parent. She felt like dancing. The flames exploded everywhere and Bora's men screamed, but a glance of instant understanding flashed between Natsu and Lucy.

His body was covered in red flames. Hers was still glittering in starlight. They looked at each and grinned madly. In a fluid motion, they both jumped forward, their fists pulled back as they leapt towards Bora.

Bora's skull collided with Natsu's and Lucy's knuckles so hard the man went flying into the distance, crashing through multiple buildings.

A large crowd had already formed around the coast, but keeping their distance. The yacht had been pulverised into pieces and set alight, but the captive slaves had already fled out of the ruined hull. Pieces of debris littered the coast, while the shipwreck had took a large chunk out of the marina.

The port had been absolutely pulverised. Natsu and Lucy glanced at each other, both of them burning with questions, but then they just exploded with laughter. It was the only reaction that seemed appropriate.

In the distance, there was shouting. Lucy glimpsed men in heavy metal armour force their way through the crowd, carrying pikes and shields.

"Crap!" Natsu shouted, grabbing Lucy's arm. Happy was suddenly by Natsu's side. "The military! Let's run!"

She didn't move. "Why? We're not the bad guys!"

He made a motion to the ruins of the harbour around them. "I don't think they know that!"

Lucy grinned. "Good point," she muttered, taking Natsu's hand and dragging him away. "Come with me!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Fanfiction.net, but I'm going to start moving it over to AO3 as well. I don't want to dump all chapters at once, so I'll be posting them gradually.


	2. The Parent Hunt

"It happened when I was very young," Lucy explained, calmly taking a sip of apple juice. "My mother died when I was… I must have been three or four. She was a really powerful Celestial Mage. I remember that she always promised to teach me Spirit Magic, but then she got ill and there just wasn't chance."

Natsu never said a word. He was strangely subdued as he sat across the table in the Fairy Tail Guild Hall. Happy sat on the table, staring with wide eyes. Mirajane was serving drinks nearby, but Lucy knew that that the white haired waitress was listening closely. Gray and Elfman were sitting down the table, trying not to appear interested.

"Anyways…" Lucy continued, growing slightly awkward. "After my mother died, my father didn't take it very well. He loved my mother, but once she passed away… He was always so cold and distant and… well… I think he might have been scared."

"Scared?" Natsu asked quietly.

Lucy shrugged. "Scared of raising a child by himself," she explained gently. "He never knew what to do. So instead, he just… distanced himself, and left my wellbeing to the butlers and maids. At the same time, he became overprotective, and confined me to my own wing at the side of our estate. I think… I think he must have just been really lost without my mother."

She took another sip of her drink. "Anyways, it wasn't a good time for me," she admitted. "I was young, my mother was gone, I had no friends, and everyone was just so distant. The staff kept me well fed and clothed, but they never treat me as anything other than their job. For most of the time I was locked in my room. I was so _lonely_. I had a room the size of a small house and all the expensive toys in the world, but no one to play with."

The mood became uncomfortable. Lucy forced a grin. "But it got better!" She continued. "One day, I was in my room, with my mother's old Gate Keys, and trying to learn Celestial Magic by myself. I was young, I had no training, no idea what I was doing, but I just really, really wanted some company. I was just playing with Magic blindly, trying to summon a spirit. I'm still not sure _how_ I managed to do it, but then somehow I summoned the most powerful Celestial Spirit of all."

Her tone became brighter. "The Celestial Spirit Dragon Annika," Lucy recalled. "And she was _amazing_. Annika said that it was a combination of my attunement to the Spirit World and the circumstances that drew her to me. I thought the dragon was like a genie, and I begged her to bring my mother back. We talked for hours, and Annika was just so calm and understanding. She comforted me. She stopped me crying. I asked her to come back tomorrow, and she agreed. And then the day after that. Eventually, Annika just kept on coming to me every day."

Natsu didn't reply, but there was a flicker in his eye. The two Dragon Slayers eyes lingered on each other for a long time, instantly recognising a shared experience.

"This happened in your _room_?" Mirajane queried gently, with slight confusion, serving two drinks to Gray and Elfman.

Lucy grinned. "Annika is the only being capable of moving between the dimensions without restriction," Lucy explained. "She never needed to use Gates, she just materialised in my bedroom from the Spirt World. And she was half-spirit too; she could change her size at will to fit in my room easily."

She took a deep breath. "Annika was there when I needed her the most," Lucy continued. "She was my adopted mother. She gave me my childhood back. She comforted me, she played with me, she taught me how to be strong, and then she taught me magic." Her grin widened. "And all that time my father thought I was safely locked in my room, I was actually flying through the Spirit World on the back of a giant dragon."

Happy stared at Lucy in awe. "Wow," the cat exclaimed. "Annika sounds amazing. What happened to her?"

Lucy glanced at Natsu again. "She vanished. Seven years ago. Annika left without trace and no human or Spirit has seen her since."

Everything went quiet. "Seven years," Natsu repeated. "The same time Igneel disappeared."

Lucy nodded. "Yes. I ran away from home looking for her. I searched everywhere I could think of in this world and the other, but there was no trace," she explained. "Eventually, I realised that if Annika wanted to disappear, she would _disappear_. She could be quite literally anyway in the universe, or perhaps even beyond that."

"So instead I started researching _why_ she left," Lucy continued. "I started hunting down the _other_ dragons to ask them. When I couldn't find a trace of any other dragon either, I went after next best thing; the other Dragon Slayers."

"Your dragon vanished the same year that Igneel did," Natsu said after a moment's pause.

She nodded. "Yep. On the 7th of July."

Natsu's eyes widened. "That's the same day!"

"The 7th of July, X777…" Mirajane realised. "That can't be a coincidence."

Natsu stared at Lucy. "Do you think that Igneel and Annika left together?"

She held her arms up despair. "I have no idea," Lucy admitted. "I was hoping you could help me with that one."

There was an edge to her voice. Lucy looked at Natsu almost expectantly, with a faint gleam of hope in his eyes. Natsu gulped nervously, not meeting her eyes. The Fire Dragon Slayer shifted uncomfortably.

"I don't know," Natsu murmured, standing up slowly. "I know nothing more about why they left than you do."

Lucy jumped to her feet. "Are you sure? There's not some clue that Igneel might have mention–"

"There's nothing!" He snapped irritably. A flash of pain flickered through Lucy's face as she stared at him silently. Mirajane look at Natstu sympathetically. Natsu glanced around. "Come on, Happy," he murmured finally. "I need to get something to eat."

"Aye."

The pair of them walked out of the guild abruptly, slamming the door. Lucy stared for a while, before slumping back down on her seat. Kindly, Mirajane took the chair opposite her.

"I'm sorry about Natsu," she said gently. "It's a sensitive subject with him. He's still a little sore after Igneel left him."

Lucy smiled weakly. "Yeah, I know the feeling…" She muttered under her breath. Mirajane's gaze was compassionate.

There was a pause. "I shouldn't have put all my hopes on him," Lucy admitted finally. "I just really want to see Annika again."

"Yeah, I see that," Mirajane nodded. "What are you going to do now?"

Lucy shrugged. "Keep on researching dragons, I suppose," Lucy sighed. "Look for clues. Search for other Dragon Slayers, I guess."

"How many other Dragon Slayers are there?"

"Not many," Lucy confessed. "I've only heard of one other; a guy called Gajeel Redfox. I thought about going after him first, but, honestly, he sounds like kind of a jerk."

"Yeah, he's with Phantom Lord, isn't he?" Mirajane mused. "There's a bit of bad blood with Phantom around here. Still, it must get lonely travelling by yourself all the time. I mean, how do you pay for anything?"

"My father's bank vaults," Lucy admitted, putting her finger over her mouth with a cheeky smile. "Shh! Don't tell him."

Mirajane giggled. "Have you ever thought about joining a guild?" She asked. "It makes things easier have place full of friends."

Lucy smiled. She liked Mirajane. Mirajane was just one of those people that made best friends on the first meeting. Lucy had read _Sorcerer's Weekly_ for years, but it was a completely different experience to meet the centrefold model in person. Mirajane was just so nice, kind and elegant, as well as being absolutely, drop-dead gorgeous. Still, the blatant implication in the question made Lucy hesitate.

"I'm not sure," Lucy said finally. "I've never really been interested in getting tied down with a guild."

"Alright," Mirajane nodded. "But you'd be welcome in Fairy Tail if you change your mind."

Lucy paused, flicking her hair back behind her ears. "I don't know if this place is right for me…" She tried to find the right words. "It seems very… violent."

Mirajane stared at her disbelievingly. "Do you remember when you first came in and Gray accidently flashed you?"

"I still don't see how anyone could 'accidently' flash someone," Lucy snorted. "Why?"

"You kicked him through the _ceiling_ ," Mirajane said slowly.

Lucy glanced at the Ice Mage, who was currently using his Magic to nurse a tender stomach. Gray still couldn't sit down without wincing. "So?" Lucy asked Mirajane.

"You kicked him _twice_. And then rolled him up in the curtains and threw him out the door."

"I don't see your point."

Mirajane sighed. "I think you're going to fit in here just fine."

Lucy shifted slightly. "Well, your Guild Master is still an old pervert."

"Makarov is not an old pervert!" Mirajane protested instinctively.

Lucy raised an eyebrow sceptically. When they first arrived, the elderly man had tried to spank Lucy. Makarov was still nursing a sore hand.

"Alright, so he's a _bit_ of an old pervert," Mirajane conceded after a few seconds. "But he's still a great guy, and the best Guild Master you'll ever meet."

They paused for moment, staring at each other quietly. Then, they both burst out laughing. Next to them, Elfman had said something manly and Loke challenged him to impress two giggling girls. Already they were rolling across the ground in a screaming wrestling match, somehow causing the entire guild to erupt in chaos. The atmosphere was contiguous, and pretty soon Lucy was grinning madly.

"Ok, I'll give you this," Lucy laughed, ducking to avoid a flying bottle. "Your guild is pretty lively."

Mirajane was laughing too. "You would enjoy it here," she promised, standing up to tend to the bar. "I hope you change your mind. If you want, you're welcome to stay at my house for the night. I have a spare bedroom you can borrow."

Lucy grin widened. Magnolia Town was a maze, and Lucy hadn't been looking forward to searching for a hotel.

"That'd be great, thanks."

"Not a problem," Mirajane said cheerfully, just as Elfman was sent crashing down onto her by Gray. They collided into the bar in a shower of drinks and wood. Still, no one seemed to be hurt, and the atmosphere never died down.

Lucy chuckled. _At least I've made a friend here_ , she thought, staring wistfully at the Fairy Tail crest hanging on the wall.

* * *

Natsu sighed as he walked down the street, wiping coal dust from his face. He had a deal with a local blacksmith to eat the fire out of the furnace; which was a pretty cheap meal but it always left him covered in soot. Happy skipped next to him, trying to chase a fluttering butterfly.

"Happy," Natsu asked after a moment. "Do you think I was too rude to Lucy?"

"Aye!" Happy shouted cheerfully, jumping for the butterfly.

He nodded, still feeling depressed from the meeting. "I know…" He muttered, with hands in his pockets as he walked down the street. Lucy had just been so hopeful to talk to Natsu, when he was just as lost as she was. It had been seven long years since Igneel disappeared, and the fruitlessness of the search was getting to him.

Still, as he headed back to Fairy Tail, the sound of a chaotic fighting instantly put a smile back on his face. As he approached the door, he had to duck to avoid Krov bursting out of the building. Inside, it looked like anarchy. The sight made all of his energy return.

"Oi!" Natsu roared happily. "How dare you start fighting without me?"

He launched into the fray, heaving up a table and slamming it over Elfman's back. Gray was instantly in front of him, throwing a heavy uppercut.

"Flame Brain!" Gray snorted. "You too scared to finish our fight from the other day?"

"As if, Stripper!" Natsu retorted, pulling himself back up. "Bring it on!"

Fairy Tail was perhaps the only guild that had to be refurbished every couple of hours, due to the constant fighting. A large part of that was due to Natsu, who tended to brawl more furiously than everyone else. Within seconds the brawl was on, as more and more Mages jumped in. It reached the point when everyone was so fired up they were ready to use Magic, and that was the point where Makarov had to put his foot down.

Literally, put his foot down. Natsu crawled out from the Guild Master's huge boot. Still, it was all good fun. There was an unspoken agreement between the Mages that no matter how wild a brawl became, they would all sit down and share a drink afterwards.

Natsu ordered a meal; pasta and chicken and a drink, all set on fire, and wolfed it down while chatting with Jet and Droy. It was only when he was finished did he walk over to Lucy, who was at the bar sharing a drink with Cana, although 'sharing' might be an overstatement.

"Hey, Lucy," Natsu greeted awkwardly. "I'm sorry about before, I shouldn't have walked off like that."

She smiled, turning away from Cana. The Mage was too busy with a keg of beer, anyways. "It's alright. I shouldn't have put my expectations on you like that," Lucy replied.

"I really wish I could help you find Annika," Natsu said earnestly.

"I know," she said with a broad smile. "And this place is a lot of fun."

Lucy held out her hand. Natsu shook it after a moment's hesitation. "So where are you going now?"

"Phantom Lord, I guess," Lucy nodded. There was a slight uncertainty in her voice. "I suppose Gajeel Redfox is the next guy to talk to. I've really got to be going shortly to catch the train, actually."

"Well, if there's anything I can–"

"I'll call you," Lucy promised with a wide grin, standing up slowly.

There was a moment's hesitation. Natsu had never felt so self-conscious as he slowly walked away. Lucy looked readying to leave, turning to Mirajane to decline her offer of a room. All of Lucy's travel belongings fit in small backpack. Natsu twitched slightly.

"Come on, Happy," Natsu muttered, walking to the request board. "I need to get a job."

"Let's choose one with a good reward," Happy suggested.

He peered at the board covered in posters. "Oh! How about this one?" Natsu pointed. "160,000 jewels for exterminating thieves!"

"That's it."

He was just about to leave when he saw a small boy with tears in his eyes staring up at the Makorov. Macao and his son Romeo had been around the guild for years. Natsu halted instantly.

"Is my Daddy back yet?" The little boy asked pleadingly.

The wizened old man shut his eyes, and shifted his head slightly – the same way he always did when he was worried but didn't want anyone to know. "Meh," Makorov muttered. "You're annoying, Romeo. If you are the son of a Mage, trust your father, be a good boy, and wait for him at home.

"He said he'd come back in three days…" Romeo begged, sobbing slightly. "But it's been a week since then…"

Natsu felt his blood run cold as he stared at the boy. Suddenly, he was eleven years old again, sobbing as he stumbled blindly around the forest, screaming for Igneel, clutching his scarf tightly…

He slammed the bounty poster he was holding into the request board so hard his fingers broke through the board. There wasn't even rational thought involved. Suddenly, Natsu was stomping out of the Guild, walking after Romeo with fire flickering in his eyes.

The hall was silently as Natsu slammed the door shut after him. He didn't notice Lucy watching him intently. A small, sympathetic smile flickered on her face.

Half an hour later, Natsu was just loading up into a horse-powered carriage when the door slammed open. Lucy walked in confidently and sat opposite him. Happy stared at her in shock. Natsu looked confused.

"What are you doing here?" He asked finally.

"What does it look like?" Lucy replied coolly. "I'm coming with you."

"You don't have to that," he protested.

"You're right. I don't," she shrugged, leaning back on her seat, readying herself for the journey. "But I want to."

Natsu paused. "What about your train?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "I'm sure there'll be another one tomorrow."

* * *

"Uhh…" Natsu groaned weakly, lying down across the seat, clutching his stomach. "… How much longer…?"

"…Kill me now…" Lucy sighed in agony. Her eyes were closed as she rested across the seat, with her legs propped up against the wall. "Just make it end…"

The carriage had been rocking for hours, gently swaying side to side in a nightmarish rhythm. Happy stood on the seat, glancing between Natsu and Lucy cheerfully.

"Wow!" The cat exclaimed. "You are both really bad with transportation."

Natsu moaned, but Lucy didn't respond. Happy poked her in the chest with a claw to check she was still alive. The cat seemed oblivious to the fact that he was touching the side of her boobs.

"As soon as this carriage stops…" Lucy murmured weakly, still not opening her eyes. "I'm going to pull out your whiskers one by one, little kitty."

"Aye!" Happy exclaimed, poking her again.

Suddenly, the coach screeched to a halt. Both Lucy and Natsu shot up at the same time.

"It's stopped!" Natsu exclaimed happily.

"Where's that little cat?" Lucy hissed, just as Happy hid behind Natsu's rucksack.

"I'm sorry…" The driver shouted apologetically from up front. There was a howl of wind outside. "But we can't go any further than this with this carriage!"

Natsu opened the door just to unleash a flurry of snow inside the coach. They were in a mountain range, snow covering everything while the wind roared furiously. The cold hit Lucy sharply.

She stared in the weather with shock. "This isn't natural weather," she muttered, wishing that she had packed a fleece. She was still wearing a shirt skirt and a sleeveless top. "Not even in the mountains…"

Natsu had his arms folded, glaring around the mountains. Lucy was already shivering. The coach driver quickly flicked his reins and turned the coach around, much to Lucy's annoyance. Natsu led the way as they started to trek through the drifts of snow. The snowstorm made it hard to see anything.

"God, its cold!" Lucy shivered, shivering madly.

"That's cause you're wearing so little," Natsu said obviously. Happy was on top of his backpack, keeping warm by hugging on to Natsu's neck.

"Well, not everyone can set themselves on fire to keep warm!" Lucy snapped. The cold was making her fingers numb.

"Didn't you at least pack a bag?" Natsu had to shout over the sound of the snowstorm. He had a heavy rucksack filled with camping supplies.

Lucy shook her head. With shivering hands, she managed to click her fingers. In a flash of light, a large pink blanket materialised around her. "I keep all of my belongings stored in the Spirt World," Lucy explained simply, wrapping the pink, fluffy blanket around her tightly. Natsu looked surprised, but then kept on walking.

"Could you store fish in there too?" Happy asked curiously, popping out of Natsu's back. Lucy rolled her eyes and didn't respond.

The snowstorm was fierce and the trek was hard. Natsu seemed immune to the cold, but even through her blanket it still caused Lucy to shiver. After a few minutes of stomping through the snow, Lucy had enough. She pushed over to the Natsu and wrapped the blanket around him, hugging on to him tightly. Their bodies pressed together.

"What are you doing?" Natsu exclaimed in shock.

"Don't get any ideas," Lucy warned. "I'm just sharing body heat."

Natsu's skin felt as warm as a toaster. Lucy sighed in relief as the heat soaked through her. Her clothes were drenching wet. For half a second, Natsu looked like he was going to complain, but then thought better of it. He had to look away to hide his blush.

Lucy smirked, keeping the blanket around both of them tightly as they continued ploughing through the snow drifts.

"So, this monster 'Vulcan' that Macao came to defeat…" Lucy asked after a while, slowly walking around a cliff face. "Is it tough?"

Natsu shrugged, sniffing the air. The wind was too strong to get a scent. "Meant to be. I've never faced one before."

"Hmm, then let's be prepared," Lucy muttered. With her other arm wrapped around Natsu's shoulders, she clicked her fingers. In a flash of light, a huge, oversized revolver burst into her hands.

Natsu frowned. "Hey, that's the gun that guy was using!" He exclaimed, thinking back to the portly Spirit Mage from the other day.

"Yep, this gun is actually a Spirit," Lucy explained, just as the revolver loaded itself with a loud click. "Unlike Celestial Mages, I don't need to use a key, instead I _am_ the Gate. This is the Revolver; a Bronze Key Celestial Spirit; it doesn't have a personality or mind of its own, it's basically just a weapon. Still, it consumes very little Magic power, and by loading up with my own Magic it creates quite destructive attacks. I figured it'd be a good choice for here."

"Huh," Natsu muttered, blinking against the snow in his eyes. "Do you have many Spirits?"

"Quite a few," Lucy admitted. "But I'm still collecting more. I need to eat the existing Gate Key before I can summon the Spirits."

"Wait a second…" Happy mused. "I thought the Celestial Spirits all existed in the night sky. I've never heard of a constellation called the Revolver before…"

Lucy chuckled. "Everyone makes that mistake," she explained simply. "But there are a _lot_ more stars up there than just the ones that are visible to us at night. The Celestial Spirit World is a really big place."

Suddenly, there was a howl around the mountains that didn't sound like the wind. Pebbles scattered downwards from the cliff face as a large shape shambled past. Before he could even ask, Lucy pulled away from him, both of them instantly alert.

"These Vulcans…" Lucy muttered, getting a glimpse of the shadow of above them. "Do they look like big monkey things with pointy heads?"

"Yes," Natsu growled, clenching his fists.

Lucy nodded, dropping into a fighting stance. She raised the Revolver, and extended her other hand. "Then let's get ready…" she muttered, eyes flickering cautiously. The snowstorm made it so hard to see anything. She clicked her fingers again. " _Taurus_!"

A huge figure of light appeared in front of them. In the distance, the Vulcan started to screech again, beating its chest furiously. Happy stared at Lucy in shock.

"You can summon two Spirits at the same time?" Happy asked in shock.

"I can when one of them is a Bronze Spirit," Lucy replied absentmindedly, finally glimpsing hulking shape of the Vulcan sitting on top of a mountain cliff in the distance. It was barely visible in the storm. She took aim with the Revolver cautiously. "Bronze Spirits really don't need much Magic."

The figure of light took form. With resounding 'Moo!", an extremely tall, heavily muscular and athletic humanoid appeared. It was a male figure that stood as a human with an enormous axe across his back, but his skin was a black and white pattern like a cow, covered in short fur, with two pointy horns and a golden ring through his snout-like nose, with pointy ears. Taurus' washboard chest was pure muscle, with six udders across his upper abdominal, while he wore a golden cowbell around his neck, which jingled slightly. The Spirit was naked except for a short pair of black swim briefs, and bandages covering his limbs.

"MOO!" Taurus roared, the battle cry echoing around the mountain. The Vulcan met the challenge, screeching loudly.

"A cow!" Natsu and Happy shouted together, eyes glimmering in amazement.

"This is Taurus, my strongest Celestial Spirit!" Lucy shouted with satisfaction. "… Although he did used to be a pervert, but I'm working on curing that."

Natsu paused. "You can cure perverted-ness?" He asked, thinking curiously about Gray. The Spirit didn't say anything, but did look slightly embarrassed by the conversation.

Lucy smirked. "I got sick of him ogling my breasts," she explained. "So every time he did something perverted, I started to summon him wearing a pink tutu."

Taurus turned to face Lucy carefully. "Lucy; may I say, in a completely none sexualising or objectifying manner, that you are looking very pleasant this evening." Taurus greeted with forced politeness. His voice sounded strained. The massive Spirit appeared to be taking great care not to stare at Lucy's chest, even covering his eyes as he talked to her.

Lucy smiled smugly. Natsu's and Happy's mouths dropped open. "Thank you. I appreciate the compliment," Lucy replied smoothly, turning back to the shape of the Vulcan. "Now then, could you please fight that giant monkey for me?"

Taurus roared, swinging its huge axe off its back. "Yes!" He heaved the huge blade like it was nothing. "I'm moo-re than ready!"

In the distance, the Vulcan sprinted away with a loping gait. Natsu was instantly focused again. "After it!" He shouted, breaking into a run. "It might lead us to Macao!"

"Aye!" Happy shouted, sprouting wings and shooting upwards. The cat's tail wrapped around Natsu, and suddenly they were bursting through the sky.

Taurus paused long enough for Lucy to jump on his back, clutching tightly on to the strap as the Spirit's feet pounded against the ground in a furious gallop. Taurus charged through the snow with unstoppable momentum, axe at the ready, while Lucy shot at the fleeing shape.

The blasts from the Revolver collided against the rocks with force, yet the Vulcan darted across the cliff face with surprising agility, using long arms to swing across the rocks.

"I've got you now!" Natsu roared over the wind, slamming down from above with a flaming fist. The Vulcan grunted, heaving a rock up and lobbing it towards the flying cat. Between the wind and the snow, Happy couldn't dodge in time, and both Happy and Natsu were knocked out of the air in cloud of rubble.

Lucy shouted with shock, but the Vulcan was already swinging around and dropping on to Taurus and Lucy from above. Taurus barely managed to leap backwards as the huge gorilla-like creature crashed downwards.

The Vulcan was huge with broad shoulders, at least as big as Taurus, with long arms and huge hands. Its fur was white with black spots, but its mouth was stretched into a wide grin. It had an elongated chin, pointy eyes, and a heavyset brow; while its skull was so pointed it almost looked like a single horn jutting from its head.

The beast glared at Taurus with heavy breaths, before focusing on Lucy. It licked its lips with desire, salivating madly. "A human woman!" It shouted happily, dancing with stubby legs. " _My_ woman!"

"No!" Taurus shouted, heaving its axe upwards. "Lucy is a free, independent woman that doesn't need a man to define her–"

"Okay, okay, that's enough," Lucy snapped, jumping off Taurus' back. "You don't need to go that far…!"

The Vulcan burst forward, yet Taurus charged furiously with a huge swing of its axe. The Vulcan managed to dodge the blade, and slammed its shoulder into the Spirit. The two muscular creatures clashed in a ferocious wrestling match.

The Vulcan grabbed Taurus' wrists and forced the Spirit to drop his axe, but Taurus roared and charged, slamming his horns into the Vulcan's shoulder. The pair crashed into the rocky cliff with enough force to gouge a hole into the surface. Neither of them backed down and they traded heavy blows with inhuman strength and stamina.

After brief frantic struggle, Taurus gained the upper hand, knocking the Vulcan's face into the ground. "Got you!" The bull screamed, forcing his knee into the Vulcan's back as Taurus caught him in a wrestling hold. The Vulcan turned pink as it struggled for breath.

"That's brilliant, Taurus!" Lucy shouted, stepping forward with the Revolver as she felt the weapon suck her magic into a large blast. She levelled the nozzle at the gorilla and pulled the trigger. "He's mi–"

A fiery blast burst from nozzle. The Vulcan's eyes widened in shock, but then it twisted around. Taurus was caught off-guard as the Magic bullet slammed into his side and sent him crashing to the ground with a large crash.

"Oh God, Taurus, I'm so sorry," Lucy shouted in guilty panic. Smoke was billowing from the Spirit, yet the Vulcan was already on its feet and laughing again. It glared at Lucy with lust.

"Woman! Woman!" It jumped up and down excitedly. "Woman is all mine! Me likes woman!"

It was dancing happily, making obscene gestures with its body. Lucy growled, taking aim with the Revolver. "You perverted monkey!"

The Revolver exploded, yet the Vulcan dodged the bullet. Lucy growled, yet shooting the weapon was consuming more Magic than she was expecting. She still never had much experience with the Revolver Spirit.

"Woman all mine!" It cried while the fiery blast burst by it. The Vulcan snatched up Taurus' axe and leapt towards Lucy angrily. "Woman should _behave_!"

Lucy dodged backwards, but the axe came cutting down in a large swipe. Lucy couldn't avoid it in time, but then the blade just phased straight through her and crashed into the ground. The Vulcan stared at the weapon with confusion. Lucy grinned.

"That won't work on me!" She shouted, lifting the Revolver upwards. "No weapon from the Spirit World can touch me!"

The gorilla was faster than she had expected. It managed to snatch the Revolver out of her hand and through the weapon dismissively off the cliff, and slam Lucy to the ground with a heavy shove.

"Woman is no nice woman!" The beast growled angrily, walking forward slowly with nostrils flaring. "Woman should behave, be mine. Woman should pleasure _me_! Woman should stay down while I –"

Lucy's face twisted in fury. "Keep dreaming!" She snarled, clicking her fingers. Suddenly, the Revolver reappeared in her hand. The Vulcan never even had time to react as she levelled the gun and pulled the trigger.

Straight at its _crotch_.

The resulting scream could be heard for miles away.

The Vulcan collapsed, the black smoke billowing from its – or rather, _his_ – groin. Lucy was already preparing for another shot, while the monster tried burying his groin in snow. "Not nice! Not nice!" The monster howled, tears rolling down his cheeks. "You not nice woman!"

Pure fury exploded in the monster's eyes. Heavy feet pounded against the ground as the Vulcan charged. "YOU NOT WOMAN AT ALL!"

Even when it came from a perverted monster, that caused a vein to throb on Lucy's forehead. "Oh, you did _not_ just say that!" She shouted, angrily raising her weapon.

The Vulcan leapt with monstrous fury. Before he even landed, a fiery shape crashed into his side, sending the beast crashing through the cliff face in a hail of rubble and snow. Natsu growled as he glared the gorilla, landing smoothly in the snow. His body was so hot he was standing in a large puddle.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted in relief. "You ok? How's Happy?"

"Unconscious in my bag," he said simply, glaring furious at the Vulcan. "That fall was annoying."

The beast pulled itself out of the stone, glaring furiously. "You not nice! Me don't like man," the monster screeched. "ME KILL YOU! ME KILL YOU BOTH!"

Natsu's body tightened, preparing to strike as the gorilla galloped towards him. He looked angry.

"Careful," Lucy warned. "This guy is tough."

"I don't care," Natsu growled. Flames coated his body. "This monkey has gone too far. Macao. Happy. You. _I_ _have no mercy for those that hurt my friends_!"

The flames exploded around him in an inferno. Lucy grinned widely. "Hey, Natsu," she shouted, raising the Revolver. The Vulcan was still pounding towards them. "Fancy a snack?"

She turned and fired the Revolver straight towards him. Natsu looked shocked for half a second, but then grinned as the fiery blast burst from the gun. He swallowed the explosion in a single, huge gulp. The Revolver was a Spirit that converted Spirit Magic into Fire Magic, after all.

"Oh yes!" Natsu roared, his Magic flaring. The Revolver's fire was a little too sweet, but still tasty and refreshing. His fist was engulfed in brilliantly bright flame, so hot that Lucy could feel the heat scorching her. The gorilla leapt towards him with both hands clutched together tightly, yet Natsu just grinned.

"I'm all fired up now!" He shouted, launching his fist forward. " _Fire Dragon's Iron Fist_!"

The Vulcan didn't even have time to blink before Natsu's burning fist collided against into the spiky forehead with breakneck force. It was impact so furious the Vulcan was sent flying through the air, crashing into a solid cliff face so hard it pounded a gorilla-shaped depression into the stone. The monkey's body was smouldering from the heat.

Lucy laughed. Natsu's grin widened. "No one hurts my friends…" He muttered under his breath, with a glance towards Lucy.

She felt her heart flutter. The Vulcan looked completely out cold. It took a while before Lucy realised how that was problem. "Wait," she frowned. "Don't you have to ask that monkey where Macao is?"

Natsu' slapped his face in shock. "Ack! I completely forgot!"

Lucy groaned. Behind her, the unconscious Vulcan's body started to shift and blur. "Well, what are we supposed to do–"

There was a loud pop. In an instant, the Vulcan disappeared in to a cloud of smoke, to reveal a slim, middle aged man with slicked back dark blue in a long, tattered white overcoat, still trapped in the rock. Natsu's eyes widened in shock.

"Wh-what's going on!?" He shouted with confusion, rushing to the man's side. "The monkey became Macao!"

Macao groaned weakly as Natsu pulled him out of the cliff. The mountainside shuddered. "That's Take Over Magic!" Lucy realised, recognising the spell dispersing around the wounded Mage. "Can Vulcans use Take Over?"

"He's really injured!" Natsu shouted with worry, glancing to Lucy. "Do you have any healing Magic?"

Natsu ripped off his coat, and Lucy gulped as she saw the deep wound covering Macao's lower abdomen. The man was covered in scratches and bruises, but the one on his side was particularly nasty, and oozing blood quickly. "Not for a wound like that," Lucy muttered, still staring at Macao's body. "These wounds… he must have been fighting hard before he was Taken Over…"

Natsu frowned. "Then this is going to have to do…" he took a deep breath, raising his hand as his skin burst into flames. Lucy's eyes bulged as he realised what he planning, and restrained Macao's arms tightly. Natsu and Lucy shared a look; just before Natsu slammed his flaming hand onto Macao's wound.

The man screamed and thrashed madly. His cries echoed around the mountainside, even louder than the roar of the storm. Lucy had to fight just to hold him steady while Natsu cauterised the wound. "This is all we can do now!" Natsu shouted loudly. "Live with it, Macao!"

Macao's scream was agonising. "Don't die!" Natsu bellowed. "Romeo's waiting for you!"

There was a loud rumble from above. Lucy looked up, just to realise that they were standing below a cliff. With a mountain of snow above. That was slowly starting to shift…

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted, just as the avalanche of snow collapsed downwards, crashing towards them in a shower of rubble. "Move!"

Natsu didn't move an inch. There was panic in his eyes, but he didn't let go of Macao. Not even when the snow came crashing down towards them like a ton of bricks. "Fairy Tail doesn't abandon friends!" Natsu growled through gritted teeth. Lucy glared at him, before covering Macao with her body and closing her eyes.

There was a thunderous crash around them. Lucy's heart nearly stopped beating. She glanced upwards, just to see a smooth metal axe covering the three of them. Suddenly, Taurus was by their side, his muscles bulging as he held the large axe up like roof.

" _No moo-re worry_ …" Taurus muttered in a strained voice. Lucy could have kissed him. She threw her arms around him and hugged tightly, nearly causing the Celestial Spirit to collapse as he tried desperately not to anything perverted.

It took nearly fifteen minutes for Natsu to dig them out of the avalanche, while Taurus covered Macao and Lucy protectively. By the time they finally got out, both Natsu and Lucy were panting heavily, and Lucy had to dismiss Taurus to save her strength. Macao was conscious, but wheezing and struggling to move.

"Wait a shame…" Macao mumbled weakly. "I got… nineteen of them… the last one took me over…"

It took Natsu and Lucy to carry him over the snow. Lucy gave the man her blanket so he didn't get cold. "It's alright," Lucy soothed. "Save your strength."

Macao was crying, struggling feebly. "Damn it…" He wept, shivering with the cold. "I'm so angry with myself…"

"Shut up!" Natsu snapped, a flicker in his eyes as he heaved Macao up. In his bag, Happy started to stir. "Just stay still!"

Lucy stared at Natsu with surprise. Macao seemed almost delirious. "How…" Macao stammered. "How can I face Romeo after this…?"

"I said shut up!" Natsu shouted angrily. His hands were trembling. Lucy smiled softly as she realised that he was hiding tears too.

"Romeo won't care _how_ you come back. Just make sure you do come back!"

There was few seconds of speechless silence. "Hmm…" Macao grunted. His arms tightened around Lucy and Natsu. Even with such injuries, his grip was still strong. "…Then get out me out here…!"

Lucy and Natsu each took one side and carried Macao across the mountain. It was a few minutes before Macao spoke again, his voice become stronger. "Just answer me this…" Macao asked finally, with a pained wince. "Why does my crotch _really_ hurt?"

It took a keen eye to spot the guilt flash across Lucy's face.

* * *

By the next morning, they were back in Magnolia. It took a long trek, a short flight from Happy, and a painful carriage journey, but eventually they managed to drop an unconscious Macao off at the guild's medicinal advisor, Porlyusica.

They were all shattered, but Natsu insisted on staying by Macao's side until he was safely reunited with Romeo. Since she never had a place of her own, Lucy retired to Natsu's and Happy's house, a somewhat run-down building with a pitched roof and chimney-pot. Inside it was messy and untidy, but Lucy didn't care. After the long trek, she just wanted to rest. She dropped on to the dirty sofa and fell asleep instantly.

It was early morning when she stirred. She yawned and stretched while the faint sunlight filtered through the grimy windows. Natsu and Happy still weren't back. Lucy rubbed her eyes tiredly, before stretching out her arm and clicking her fingers.

Taurus appeared in the room in a flash of light. "Lucy!" The bull Spirit exclaimed loudly. "What can I do for you?"

Lucy grinned. "I just wanted to thank you," she said gratefully. "You were really fantastic yesterday. I really appreciate it."

Taurus puffed out his chest proudly, with a large grin. "It's my pleasure, Lucy!"

"Anyways, you must still be tired," Lucy said kindly. "I'll let you get back to the Spirit World to recuperate."

"Very well!" Taurus shouted cheerfully, waving goodbye. "Goodbye Lucy's boobies, I–"

He realised his mistake as soon as the words were out. "Oh, Taurus…" Lucy said, almost sympathetically. "You were doing _so_ well."

She clicked her fingers, and suddenly a pink, fluffy tutu materialised on Taurus, complete with fairy wings and a princess crown. Taurus collapsed to the ground in tears, while Lucy giggled.

"Enjoy!" she said teasingly. With a click of her fingers, Taurus, and his new dress, disappeared back into the Spirit World.

Lucy was still chuckling as she stretched out on the sofa. For all of its filth, Natsu's house had a warm, almost homely quality. After all the snow of the previous day, somehow Lucy still felt chilly. She stood up to light the fireplace, and then lounged peacefully on ground, wrapping herself warmly in the pink blanket as the light spilled over her.

It was half an hour later before Natsu returned. Lucy was half asleep, and the sound of the door closing caused her to jump. The Fire Dragon Slayer walked into the room, showing no irritation at Lucy for making herself at home in his house.

"Hey," Lucy smiled brightly. "How did it go?"

"Great," Natsu grinned. "Porlyusica says that Macao is going to be just fine, and Romeo is over the moon."

"That's good," Lucy sighed, still feeling drowsy from the warmth. "It was really sweet the way you looked after Romeo…"

He didn't respond. Natsu crossed the room and sat down on the chair opposite her, staring at Lucy curiously.

"Can I ask you a question?" Natsu said quietly after a few seconds. "Your dragon, Annika, what was she like?"

Lucy blinked at the unexpected question, but then smiled faintly. "She was beautiful," Lucy said finally, her eyes glazing over with happy memories. "She was so soft and elegant. She never flew; she just floated in the air. Her scales were so silver and almost translucent and her wings… when she wrapped her wings around me it was like a staring up at the stars. She was so kind and compassionate. A bit cheeky," Lucy admitted, with a smile. "And she was always messing with me. But she was just _there_ , you know?"

Natsu nodded understandingly. There was a pause. "What about Igneel?" Lucy asked curiously. "What was he like?"

The Fire Dragon Slayer paused for a long time. "Fiery," Natsu said eventually. "He was loud, brash, and he _loved_ setting things on fire. He once torched a whole forest just to watch it burn. You could hear him coming a mile away, and when he flapped his wings... the whole world just shook." Natsu sighed gently. "And he was _awesome_. He was the best father anyone could have asked for."

"Yeah…" Lucy muttered gently.

There was a pause, a comfortable silence draping between them like a blanket. Lucy glanced towards the fire, which was still crackled warmly. Lucy stretched backwards, the vision of a glittering dragon swaying across her bedroom. The memory was still just as vivid as it had been when she was three years old…

"So…" Natsu muttered awkwardly. "What are you going to do now? Don't you have a train to catch?"

Lucy paused, looking at Natsu with a playful glimmer in her eyes. She brushed her hair back slowly. "Well…" she said with a deep breath. "… I _suppose_ I could stay a bit longer."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note that the first difference between this story and canon is that Lucy's mother died earlier, which led to her summoning Annika and learning Celestial Dragon Slayer magic rather than Celestial Spirit magic.
> 
> A few people have asked about who's stronger, Natsu or Lucy. Well, they're both about equal, but they have very different fighting styles. Natsu is all explosive and brute strength, while Lucy still uses Celestial Spirits as her primary method of fighting. That means while Natsu would probably win in a close combat brawl, Lucy has much a wider range of attacks, and could do a lot a better from a distance.


	3. The Job

"Done!" Mirajane announced proudly, pressing the Magical stamp onto Lucy's hand. "You are now officially a member of Fairy Tail!"

A pink crest appeared on her skin with a small flash. Lucy examined the back of her hand with a wide smile. "Whoa," she exclaimed. "That was easy. Isn't there an entrance exam or something?"

Sitting cross-legged on top of the bar, Makarov chuckled loudly. "Nonsense!" The master said loudly, scratching his moustache. "Fairy Tail is always happy to accept all Mages! This is a collection of friends and family, not a workplace!"

Lucy beamed, still staring at the Fairy Tail mark. It felt weird belonging to a guild, but not unpleasant. After persistent badgering from Natsu and Mirajane, Lucy had finally surrendered and joined the guild. Besides, she had come to quite enjoy the constant pandemonium of the Guild Hall.

"Besides," Makarov continued brightly, looking at Lucy happily. "You are a powerful Dragon Slayer! Any guild would be proud to accept such a–"

He paused. "How strong are you, anyways?" He asked in a quieter tone, awkwardly.

The Celestial Dragon Slayer never knew how to reply to that. Makarov looked towards Mirajane questioningly, who just shrugged. "I don't know. I've never seen her fight."

Lucy frowned and folded her arms. "I can hold my own," she muttered, wondering whether to brag or be modest.

The old man rubbed his chin. "Hmmm…" He mused. "Well, are you stronger or weaker than Natsu?"

Lucy shrugged uncertainly. Makarov seemed confused. "I don't think that she's fought Natsu yet," Mirajane explained.

The statement just seemed to confuse the guild master even more. "But _everybody_ fights Natsu!" Makarov protested. "Natsu is the yardstick we use to rate a Mage's strength."

Around them, the other Mages nodded in agreement. The guild could be quite cleanly split into either 'stronger than Natsu' or 'weaker than Natsu', with the exception of Gray, who had so far consistently drawn with Natsu. As a matter of fact, it was a commonly held rumour that to be an S-Class Mage you had to be able to beat the Fire Dragon Slayer without breaking a sweat, much to Natsu's annoyance.

"Natsu has never challenged me," Lucy explained simply.

"Huh! Natsu challenges _everyone_!" Makarov objected. "Sometimes as soon as they walk through the door! Occasionally before that! I mean, one time I bought a new coat stand and Natsu challenged _that_ to a fight!"

Mirajane nodded in confirmation, with a smile. "To be fair, it was a very intimidating coat stand," she said reasonably.

Makarov sighed, shaking his head with the memory. "Sometimes that lad drives me up the wall…"

Lucy smirked. Mirajane looked at her with a teasing grin. "I don't know…" The white-haired woman said playfully. "There must be _some_ reason why Natsu doesn't want to fight you."

She caught the implication. "Don't even start," Lucy warned. That just seemed to encourage Mirajane even more.

"Natsu and Lucy…" Mirajane mused. "It does have a nice ring to it. Natsu and Lucy… _K-I-S-S-I-N-G_ …"

Lucy forced herself not blush. Mirajane leant back against the bar, grinning as she found something to tease her new friend with. Lucy squirmed uncomfortably, glancing around. Makarov was hobbling away to sort out a brawl between Gray and Elfman.

"Just…" Lucy muttered to Mirajane pleadingly. "Just stay out of it. Please?"

She held up her hands innocently. "Hey, I'm fully supportive," Mirajane smiled. "It's been so long I've wondered whether Natsu was _only_ interested in fire and fights."

Lucy paused, glancing around awkwardly to make sure no one was listening. She looked at Mirajane curiously. "Does Natsu…" Lucy murmured in a hushed voice. "Well, has Natsu ever been in a relationship before?"

There was a flicker in Mirajane's eyes. Her voice changed slightly. "Once," she admitted. "Kind of, anyways. With my sister, Lisanna."

The mood died slowly as the conversation fell onto an uncomfortable subject. Mirajane forced a smile, but it was wooden. Lucy knew Mirajane well enough to know that she never had a sister anymore. There was a pause.

"I'm sorry," Lucy said sincerely, her eyes compassionate.

"No… it's alright," Mirajane muttered quietly. "It was a long time ago…"

There was a shout from the other side of the hall, Mirajane bustled away quickly to serve drinks. It was still early morning, and the guild was slowly waking up.

Lucy sighed as she took a seat next to the bar, sitting with her head in her hands as she stared at the Fairy Tail mark thoughtfully. She glanced back to Mirajane, who was bustling through the tables and laughing as if nothing was wrong. For the first time, Lucy wondered why Mirajane never went on missions anymore.

"Lucy!" A booming voice exploded across the hall as the door kicked open suddenly. "Is it true?"

She turned, just to an excited Natsu burst into the Guild Hall. He glimpsed the Fairy Tail mark on her hand before she even had a chance to say anything. His smile split his face as he rushed her.

"I knew it!" He shouted happily, rushing to congratulate her. "I knew I could get you to join! You're going to love it in Fairy Tail!"

Lucy giggled, glancing up to Natsu. He was grinning brightly, next to her as he stared at the mark. He looked the same as ever; wearing his trademark white scarf and a sleeveless, open black waistcoat with white shorts. Lucy wondered briefly if that was the only outfit he had.

"Well, this place is definitely fun," she replied, returning his grin.

Happy jumped up on the bar, looking Lucy up and down. "Oh, there's a rule that all new members have to serve existing ones for the first six months," the cat said cheerfully. Lucy very carefully pushed him back down on to the floor.

"We need a job to celebrate!" Natsu shouted happily, pulling a piece of paper out from behind his back. "And I've got the perfect job!"

"'We'?" Lucy asked, raising her eyebrow. "I don't want to get in your way."

Natsu hesitated for half a second. "Well, I just figured that it's always more fun when you're with people you know…" He said brightly. "And since you're new and all, well, maybe you'd like to form a team?"

"Teams are always good between people you get along with!" Happy added. "It makes difficult requests easier!"

Lucy glanced at Natsu's face, but he seemed completely earnest and excited. She felt her heart skip slightly. "Ok," Lucy agreed. "That's sounds like a good idea. Let's see this job…"

He handed her the piece of paper. "Hmm… Shirotsume Town, that's not that far…" Lucy read. "We just need to get a book from the mansion of someone called the Duke Everlue…"

"Yep, it's an easy job," Natsu said, staring at her expectantly.

She read on further. There was a warning at the bottom of the paper. Duke Everlue was a pervert and a deviate, currently hiring blond-haired maids. Lucy's mouth dropped open. "Natsu…" she muttered in a quietly deadly voice. "Are you asking me to dress up as a maid for this pervert just to steal this book…?"

Natsu didn't respond. Lucy crossed her arms angrily. "There's no way I'm doing that!"

"The reward is 200,000 jewels," Happy added, jumping up from above.

For half a second, Lucy's eyes glittered as she imagined all that money. The decision was easy. "Ok, let's do this," she said happily, standing up clutching the paper. "Do you know a good clothes store?"

* * *

Both Lucy and Natsu insisted on walking towards Shirotsume Town. The town was close to Magnolia and so small that it didn't have a railway station, and neither Natsu or Lucy could stomach a coach journey up the mountains. Instead, they started walking quickly, with Happy sitting on Natsu's head.

The walk was quiet and comfortable. Lucy wore knee high black boots and a short skirt, relaxing in the warm sun, while Natsu's heavy bag slung over his shoulders.

"This is so much better than coach," Lucy muttered thankfully, staring out over the rolling landscape littered with trees. The very thought of transportation made her woozy. "It should only take an hour or so."

Natsu nodded, crossing his arms behind his head. "I'm not used to journey's that I can actually move on," he sighed, keeping a fast pace. "Coaches are unnatural."

"I know, right?" Lucy agreed, watching the town disappear out of view. "We've got a nice comfortable walk, and then a pretty easy job, and a big pay day."

"You seem interested in it the mission," Happy noted. "Considering you didn't really like the idea."

"Of course," Lucy said cheerfully. "I just have to sneak into the mansion and get one book, right?"

"To the perverted old fart's mansion," Happy reminded.

"Yup, the perverted old fart's mansion," Lucy shrugged. "Easy."

Natsu cast her a glance. "You know you don't _actually_ have to dress up as a maid," he said. "We'll just break in to the place the old fashioned way."

"It'll be easier and safer just to let me do it," she said with a wink and a playful smile. "I'm pretty confident in my sex appeal, you know."

Natsu didn't reply. Happy looked at her critically, and then shook his head. "Nope, I can't see it," the cat said dismissively.

"Besides," Lucy continued. "If he tries to get _too_ perverted then I'll just get Taurus to pound him into the ground. Or maybe I'll call Cancer to give him little bit of a _snip_ …" She mused jokingly, motioning with her hands.

Natsu's eyes bulged. "You don't have to go _that_ far…" He murmured, backing away slightly from Lucy. She giggled. Happy just looked confused.

The Fire Dragon Slayer looked at Lucy curiously. "Say, how many Celestial Spirits do you have?"

"Quite a few," Lucy admitted, counting on her hand. "I've got three big Golden ones; Cancer, Aquarius and Taurus, then about half a dozen Silver ones, maybe three Bronze Spirits."

"Huh, what's the difference?"

"Golden Spirits are the twelve Zodiac Spirits – they were the first ones to make a contract with humans, and are quite powerful. Golden Gate Keys are quite rare, and they're like a symbol of prestige among Mages," Lucy explained. "And then there are Silver Spirits, which are more standard yet still quite useful. Bronze Spirits are very basic; they're still alive, but they just don't have any personality of their own, which makes them more like tools than anything. As well as that, there are plenty of other types of Gate Keys; Iron, Platinum, Wood… There are a lot of Spirits out there."

Natsu frowned. "Celestial Magic is really complicated."

"Oh, it's simpler for me," Lucy shrugged. "All I have to do is eat the Gate Key and then I _become_ the Gate. I can summon any Spirit I want, I don't have to make a contract, and all of my Spirits fall under _my_ dominion, not the Celestial Spirit King's. I suppose you could call me the queen of all the Spirits I summon." She said that last sentence with a touch of smugness.

"Those poor Spirits…" Happy muttered.

"Hey, I'm a great queen!" Lucy snapped at the cat. "I'm really more like a _princess_ than anything, I mean. I'm friendly, approachable, and beautiful!"

Happy murmured something under his breath, but didn't dare say it. Natsu scratched his head. "So what about Annika? Did she summon Spirits too?"

"No, Annika never bothered with them," Lucy explained. "The Spirit World just lived in fear of her. Not even the Celestial Spirit King would cross her. Instead, Annika spent most of her time in the _untamed_ corners of the Spirit World, hunting wild Spirits."

Natsu looked at her strangely. "Annika used to _eat_ Spirits," Lucy clarified. "She fed on Spirit Magic, but she never usually went for contracted Spirits. There are large wildernesses in the Spirit World where the King has no control over. Annika lived in those corners, hunting down the dangerous, wild Spirits. Truth be told, she was always a strange dragon. Few people ever knew she existed. She almost never interacted with humans, and I don't think she talked to other dragons much either."

He nodded, thinking back to Igneel. His foster parent had always been quiet about his personal life as well, but they had lived in the forest together in almost complete isolation, despite the almost constant wildfires that they both created.

"So wait, you're the Celestial Dragon Slayer…" Natsu murmured slowly. "Does that mean you _eat_ Celestial Spirits too?"

Lucy nodded. "Of course."

Both Natsu and Happy jumped backwards in shock. Lucy stopped to look at them. "Well, you eat fire!" She protested.

"Fire can't talk back!" Natsu snapped. "Those Spirits are alive!"

"Is that why all those Spirits listen to you?" Happy demanded, staring at her like she was a monster. "They're afraid of being eaten!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Of course I can't eat _my_ Spirits. That would be… sick." She shivered at the very thought. "But I feed on Spirit _Magic_. Celestial Spirits are made out of Spirit Magic, yet I don't eat _them_. I eat the Gate Keys, and that's like my connection to the Spirit World. I eat the Gate Keys, I become the gate, and then I absorb Spirit Magic through the link. It means that I'm always 'feeding' on the ambient Magic from the Spirit World. When I need to, I can also pull out the Spirits from the same connection, but then I have to supply Magic to keep them in this world. It's like a symbiotic relationship; they get to break the rules and come to this world and I'll sustain them, while I get to feed on Spirit Magic from their domain and they'll also help me if I need it. The more Gate Keys I eat, the more Spirit Magic I can consume consistently and the stronger I become, and the more Spirits I can summon."

Natsu's gaze was blank. Lucy sighed. "Think of every Gate Key like a straw. I suck Spirit Magic out of the straw, and then eat it in the same way you eat fire," Lucy explained simply.

"Oh…" Natsu nodded. "Why didn't you just say so?"

Happy frowned, scratching his ears thoughtfully. "So you become stronger by eating Gate Keys?"

"Usually, although there are some Spirits that…" Lucy hesitated. "Well, they object to the different relationship. Sometimes the Spirit can refuse work with me, and then it can get a bit awkward. If the Spirit is willing though, then we can both benefit. The big difference between me and an ordinary Celestial Spirit Mage is that I'm in charge of relationship, even if I do treat my Spirits fairly."

"That's weird," Natsu muttered, folding his arms. "Fire Dragon Slayer Magic is much cooler."

Lucy scoffed. "It is _not_."

"I can make things _explode_ ," he said simply, as if that completely answered the debate. Happy nodded firmly in agreement.

"I can summon a giant bull to fight for me," Lucy retorted, sticking out her tongue.

" _I_ can breathe fire," he argued.

"I can breathe starlight."

"I can take things out of the oven without using gloves," he said simply.

She giggled. "Well, I don't have to carry around a big backpack with me."

"I don't have to go around eating _keys_!" He smiled.

"What? Instead you need a pile of logs and a tinderbox or you'll starve?" Lucy replied, hands on her hips.

Natsu laughed. The argument over which Dragon Slayer had the better element lasted right up until they reached Shirotsume Town. The town was a small settlement cradled in front of the mountain range, surrounded by rolling valleys of green. The town was built around the main road, covered in white stone buildings and wooden houses. Even from afar Lucy could see the people milling around the town, and when the fresh scent of bakery and flowers reached her nostrils she couldn't help but laugh.

She and Natsu were walking so close they were nearly hand in hand, talking and arguing good-naturedly. Natsu's stomach was growling hungrily, so they went into a nearby restaurant. Natsu proceed to wolf down an entire five course meal, while Lucy and Happy started arguing about whether she liked oily food or not. They were both laughing while the plates of food disappeared in front of them, much to the shock of the other patrons.

By the end of the meal, Lucy was in such a good mood that she didn't even mind paying for the meal. As they left the building, she turned around to Natsu. "You go talk to the client," she suggested. "I need to go shopping for something."

"Alright," Natsu grinned, patting his stomach. Happy was still munching on a large fishbone. "Let's meet up in front of Everlue's mansion in an hour, ok?"

"Deal," Lucy agreed with a broad smile, turning to walk away.

Natsu watched her leave. He had to shake himself just to gather up the wits to move.

* * *

Fifty minutes later, and Natsu was racing through to the far side of the town, chasing after Lucy's scent with a broad smile. Happy was running behind him, also grinning with the news they'd just been told.

"Lucy!" He shouted happily, glimpsing a figure in the trees. "You won't believe what we've just been to…"

His voice trailed off his bottom jaw hit the floor. Happy crashed into him from behind. Lucy pulled herself up, standing with her hands behind her back and her head lowered slightly.

"How are you, sir?" Lucy said playfully, touching her lips gingerly. It was a sign of the duke's perverseness and wealth that the nearby clothes shops actually had a very good collection of maid uniforms. Lucy wore an extremely short black skirt with long white tights, and a waistcoat over a sleeveless collared shirt that only served to exaggerate how large her bosom was. Her hair was drawn back into two pigtails, with a maid's headband.

She winked. Natsu's tongue felt very heavy as he tried to speak but only ended up stuttering. Lucy smirked. "I look good, don't I?" She said smugly. "Then again, I like good in anything."

"Nope," Happy announced after a few seconds, shaking his head. "I still don't get what the appeal is."

"That's because you're a cat," Lucy replied dismissively. "I'll bet this duke is going to fall head over heels in love with me, or else I'll eat your bag. Now, Natsu, what were you going to say?"

"Um… yeah…" Natsu blinked several times, before finally finding his voice. "I've just spoke to the client. A guy called Kaby Melon. We've got to find a book called 'Daybreak'. And the reward's been increased to two _million_!"

Lucy's eyes bulged. A slow grin spread over her face. " _Two million_?" She exclaimed.

"Aye!" Happy exclaimed. "That's one million for me, one million for Natsu, and the rest for you."

"Why exactly does the cat get any share at all?" Lucy questioned coldly. Happy looked hurt. "Oh, two million! God, I really need that money. I've still got to find rent a place to live…"

"And he doesn't want to steal the book either!" Natsu said cheerfully. "We've just got to destroy it!"

Lucy frowned. "Why does he just want – Ah, for two million I really don't care," she decided loudly, glancing towards the Duke Everlue's mansion, an imposing rectangular structure of orange stone and windows. "This rich guy really hates a book, got it!"

She straightened up her maid's uniform, pulling up her tights and ruffing up her hair. "I'll go get that book," she said with a wink. "Just watch a _professional_ at work."

She walked away, but then paused, sniffing the air curiously. "What's wrong?" Natsu asked curiously.

"I smell a Celestial Spirit," Lucy muttered, glancing towards the mansion with a frown. She hesitated for a second and then kept on heading towards the gate.

Natsu spent a few hypnotising seconds staring at the way her hips rocked. When she was out of earshot, he quietly asked Happy. "Do you really not find her attractive at all?" He muttered in a hushed voice.

"Aye!" Happy said cheerfully, focusing on the gate of Everlue Mansion.

They watched Lucy knock on the door, shouting towards the mansion. It was too far away to hear anything, but then they saw the ground next to her bulge as a figure shot out of the earth. It took a few seconds for Natsu to realise that the figure was a woman, and not actually a gorilla. Her arms and legs were as thick as tree trunks, while her fatty body was practically bulging out her skimpy maid uniform.

There was a short conversation, followed by another person jumping out of the hole in the ground. He was a wrinkly, old man shaped suspiciously like a giant egg in an expensive suit, almost bald with a lecherous grin and a moustache like nose hair covering his face. Natsu instantly recognised Duke Everlue from his picture.

Lucy posed for him, pushing her breasts together with her arms while he looked her over. And then Everlue turned his back dismissively, and Natsu could practically hear the vein pop on Lucy's forehead.

Four more 'women' in maid uniforms jumped out of the hole to join the gorilla maid, striking suggestive poses despite being so misshapen that Natsu had a hard time recognising them as human. He saw Lucy try to recover by flirting with the man, but then the maids laughed and the duke threw tissue at her as she left.

Lucy walked away from the mansion slowly, her arms trembling with rage. Her gaze was murderous. Neither Natsu nor Happy dared to say a word as she approached. There was a tense silence.

Then, slowly, Happy removed his bag for Lucy to eat.

She stared at the green fabric with rage. Her breathing was shallow. "That man…" She muttered in cold fury. "…must _die_!"

* * *

Ten minutes later and Lucy was being dropped onto the roof of the mansion by Happy, while Natsu was already there. Lucy was still wearing her maid uniform, and Natsu peeked cautiously through a window. In the last ten minutes, Lucy had cooled down enough that she went from 'murder' to 'grievous bodily harm and mutilation'. Hopefully, if she never saw any reminders again, she would eventually reach the point where leaving the Duke homeless and destitute would satisfy her.

"Ok, remember the plan," she told Natsu. "We break in quietly, burn the book and get that out of the way first."

Natsu nodded. "And _then_ we burn this mansion to the ground and destroy everything that the duke holds precious," Lucy continued firmly, slamming her fist into her hand.

"I really don't think you're in the best state of mind to be making plans…" Happy muttered reluctantly.

"Lucy's scary when she's angry…" Natsu murmured under his breath to Happy.

The cat nodded. "It must be because she's so ugly."

" _What did you say!?_ " Lucy roared, so furiously that they both jumped.

"Nothing!"

"Aye!"

Natsu burned a hole in a glass pane with the palm of his hand, breaking into a small storage room filled with obscure objects. Slowly, they moved out into a long corridor lined in expensive wood and thick carpets, before creeping downwards towards a staircase towering through the huge, three storied mansion.

There were doors on both sides. Lucy went first carefully creeping through the corridor, watching for any sign of movement as they looked for the book. Suddenly, Lucy caught a scent, and she glimpsed the carpet in front of her bulge. She was already moving even as five figures jumped upwards.

"Intruders detected!" A thunderous voice shouted, as the huge gorilla woman leapt out of the floor. She was followed by the four other ugly maids, swinging brooms around like a clubs.

Natsu jumped to his feet, but Lucy was already ready. Her foot spun around furiously, knocking a made with a face like a horse and a maid with a face like pig to the ground.

"You!" Lucy demanded angrily at the gorilla maid. She recognised the scent. "You're the Celestial Spirit Virgo, aren't you?"

The gorilla maid frowned but didn't respond, slamming her fists towards Lucy like a club. Virgo's punch phased straight through Lucy, much to the Spirit's confusion. Lucy lashed out with a fist glittering in starlight, exploding as the Spirit Magic sent the maids dropping over the bannister and down to the ground floor.

 _So Everlue has the Key of the Maiden_ , Lucy thought with a frown. The other maids were, surprisingly, human.

"Let's go!" Lucy ordered, racing down the corridor while Natsu ran behind her. "I'm going to take that Gate Key off the duke as well!"

They ran through a thick door at the end of the corridor, leading into a huge, oval room covered in bookcases. The library was filled with thousands of books.

"Whoa!" Natsu exclaimed in awe, looking around. "So many books! Come on, let's find the one we want!"

"Aye!"

He blurred as he rummaged through the shelves like a bull in a china shop. Lucy paused, looking through the annoyingly impressive collection of novels. She glimpsed a couple of first editions of her favourite books, and then shrugged and decided she might as well pocket them.

"Ohhh!" Natsu screamed excitedly, snatching a book off the shelves on the other side of the room. "I found a golden book!"

"What?" Lucy muttered, turning to see. The glittering cover shined in the air, proudly revealing 'DAYBREAK'. Lucy's mouth dropped open. Happy cheered. "That's it! But that was easy!"

"Told you this was an easy mission," Natsu said with a broad smile, ignited his hand in flames. "Let's burn it, then!"

"Wait!" Lucy snapped, pulling the book out of his hand. Her eyes gleamed as she read the author's name on the bottom. "Th-This author is Kemu Zaleon! But I've read all of Kemu Zaleon's titles. Does this mean this one's unpublished?!"

"Who?" Natsu asked with confusion.

"He was a big Mage and a writer," Lucy explained. "And I'm a huge fan! This book is amazing!"

"Whatever, let's burn it!" Natsu ordered, holding out his hand. Lucy looked at him as if he just said 'let's burn a baby'.

"No!" She screamed in shock. "New plan! We hold off burning this book until after I've read it, and then we'll see about burning it!"

"You're abandoning the job," Happy said disapprovingly. Natsu folded his arms. Lucy looked at him pleadingly.

There was a crack of earth, and a voice echoed around the room. "I see, I see!" A man laughed, and Lucy felt her skin crawl. "So _that's_ what you guys were after!"

The floor flexed almost like a fluid, just as a fat figure leapt out of the ground behind them. Duke Everlue was laughing loudly as he burst into the air.

"See!" Natsu shouted. "This is because you were slow!"

"Shut up!" Lucy snapped, clutching onto Daybreak tightly. "Let's just beat this guy up and get out of here, but _you're_ not burning this book!"

"Lucy!" Natsu glared at her angrily. "It's our _job_!"

" _No_!"

"Hmph!" Everlue snorted, glaring at the intruders angrily. "I was wondering what the Mages were looking for so frantically. And it was just that worthless book."

"Worthless?" Lucy asked with confusion. "Does that mean I can keep it then?"

"No, regardless of how trashy it is, it still belongs to me," Everlue sneered.

"Stingy," Lucy muttered.

"Shut it, ugly," Everlue said dismissively. Lucy felt her fists clench with anger.

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy to beating you up!" Lucy shouted furiously, glaring at Everlue. "I'm going to beat you up, steal your stuff and _then_ read this book!"

"But what about stealth?" Happy exclaimed in shock.

Lucy shrugged. "So long as he's not capable of remembering me by the time I'm down with him," she said with an evil grin. "Then it's _still_ stealthy."

Everlue's face contorted in anger. "Bullshit! How dare you threaten the great Duke Everlue!?" He snarled. "Come, Vanish Brothers!"

There was a creak as suddenly two bookcases pulled open to reveal a hidden door. The footsteps echoed around the room as two men walked out; one short and the other monstrously large.

"It's finally time for business," The short one muttered. He was mostly bald with a long dreadlock falling down below his waist, and four tattoos across his chin, forehead and both sides of his face. He had what looked like a giant frying pan hanging on his back.

"If we get paid without doing actual work, Mama will get mad at us," The large one replied coolly. He was tall and broad shouldered, with a large hooked nose and a weird, pronged afro held back by a bandanna. "Are these brats the Mages of Fairy Tail? Mama would be surprised too."

Happy's eye bulged. "Look at that cloth on their arms!" The cat shouted, recognising the symbol. "They're from that mercenary guild, the Southern Wolves."

"He hired guys like that?!" Natsu growled, clenching his fist.

Everlue was laughing furiously. "Vanish Brothers!" He ordered loudly. "Retrieve the book at once! And kill them!"

"Oh, you mean this book?" Lucy muttered with a sly smile, holding the golden book in her hand. She clicked her fingers, and suddenly the book vanished in a flash of light. "Oops? Where did go?"

Everlue's mouth hit the floor, his fat jiggling as he tried to speak. Lucy just sent Daybreak for a short trip into the Spirit World, but she doubted that Everlue was a good enough Celestial Mage to bring it back.

"Natsu!" Lucy ordered. "You handle these two! The duke is all mine!"

"You think you could take me?" Everlue shouted, dropping headfirst into the ground like a drill. "I'll get that book bac–"

Lucy jumped into the air. Both of the Vanish Brothers dived in with a vicious coordinated chop, but Lucy was already taking a deep breath and pulling her head back. "Celestial Dragon's…" She shouted. "ROAR!"

The light was blinding and furious as pure, raw Spirit Magic streamed from her mouth. The Vanish Brother's screamed in shock, but the starlight burst through the floor and then suddenly they were all falling downwards with a ton of rubble.

They landed in a large dining room, with chunks of stone crashing around them. Lucy glimpsed Everlue, and then he was on the floor as suddenly she slammed her foot into his stomach. The Vanish Brothers recovered quickly, bouncing off the ground and launching themselves at Lucy.

"Bastard!" The large mercenary roared, glaring at Lucy. "I'm going to tell Mama!"

Natsu was there in an instant lashing out with a furious fist of flame. Both the mercenaries dived backwards, while Everlue groaned and disappeared into the ground again. Lucy was already chasing after him.

The two mercenaries tried to run after her, but Natsu was there in an instant, blocking off the doorway as he prepared for a fight. The mercenaries growled at him.

"Hm…" The shorter one muttered. "Looks like it's became troublesome."

"Happy," Natsu ordered, not taking his eyes off the mercenary. "Go make sure that Lucy alright!"

The cat looked confused. "But I'll support you here!" Happy protested. "Lucy doesn't need any help."

"I know," Natsu muttered sheepishly. "But just go do it anyways, please?"

He stretched his arms slowly. "I'll handle these guys myself," he announced, looking towards the Vanish Brothers with annoyance.

Happy grinned and then flew away. The big mercenary snarled at him, before the smaller one said coolly, "Calm down. You got to cool down." He raised his hand in challenge. "Come on, Flame Mage!"

Natsu grinned, just as the fire spread over his hand. "Are you prepared to end up charred?"

"That's unlikely," The mercenary replied calmly, drawing his frying pan. The weapon was so large it could cook a whole person, and the man held it with two hands. "Flame Mages are the easiest kind of opponent for me."

The fire glittered in Natsu's eyes. These guys actually seemed to know what they were doing. He could feel his body itching for a fight. "Is that so?"

* * *

Lucy cornered Everlue on the ground floor, near the kitchen, just before he disappeared into the earth again. Lucy growled, trying to track the man's movements as he swam through the earth.

"That Earth Magic is really annoying…" Lucy muttered, just as hands snatched up from the floor and tried to wrap around her legs. Lucy barely managed to avoid it, but kicked Evelue's fingers causing him to squeal in pain.

"Celestial Dragon's Claw!" Lucy shouted, summoning the Spirit Magic into her palm as she slammed her hand into the earth with a blinding light. The earth shattered as the power cut through solid stone, forcing Everlue to jump out of the ground to avoid the attack.

"You use some really strange Magic…" The duke snarled, glaring at her furiously.

Lucy smirked, but she could feel the exhaustion sinking in. Celestial Dragon's Roar and Claw were the only two direct offensive attacks she had, and both took a large chunk out of her Magic. Normally it was much more economical for her to fight using Spirits. "Oh, you don't know that half of it."

"What did you do with my book?!" Everlue demanded. "Where have you hidden it?"

"If you want it…" Lucy said coolly, sticking out her tongue. "Then you'll have to beat me to get it!"

His face twisted in rage, his hand slamming into his pocket as he pulled out a large, ornate golden key. "That book is mine! I made Kemu Zaleon write it! It belongs to _me!"_ Everlue roared. "Open! Gate to the Maiden!"

There was a flash of light and suddenly the huge gorilla maid appeared in front of him. Lucy licked her lips hungrily as she saw the key. "Cancer!" She shouted, clicking her fingers.

Both Celestial Spirits appeared into view. Virgo was huge and monstrous, her hair into pigtails and makeup smearing her angry face as she stared down at Lucy with cold eyes. Cancer was a tall, slender man dressed in a stylish striped shirt and tight pants, with a pair of sunglasses and his hair shaped like two crab glasses. He had six crab legs sticking out of his back, while he spun two pairs of scissors in his hands expertly.

"So… a battle of Celestial Spirits, then?" Everlue muttered coldly. "Yet where are your keys?"

"Lucy…" Cancer said coolly, glancing towards while raising his scissors. "What kind of hair style would you like today – ebi?"

Lucy laughed. "I was thinking something clique and modern," She said with a smile. "Something you could have fun with. But, first, though I think we'll need to beat that moustache guy up."

Cancer grinned, turning to face Everlue and Virgo. "Right away – ebi."

There was a pause as the two Celestial Spirits faced off with each other. "Virgo…" Cancer muttered, looking the fat maid up and down. "You have _really_ let yourself go…"

Virgo didn't respond, instead slashing out with a furious blow. Cancer was faster, nimbly dodging every powerful attack as he sidestepped around Virgo easily. Lucy grinned, clicking her fingers and instantly the Revolver appeared her hands.

"Sorry about this, Virgo…" Lucy murmured, levelling the gun. "I'm just going to knock you until I get your Gate Key off your current pervert of an owner…"

Before she could even pull the trigger, strong arms wrapped around her body from behind, grabbing a hold of her fingers tightly. The Revolver scattered the ground, and Duke Everlue was popping out of the wall and clutching her hands.

"You use some weird Magic, don't you?!" Everlue screamed, meshing his hands with hers so he could hold her fingers tightly, while twisting her arms behind her back painfully. "You summon Spirits by clicking your fingers! Well, I'm not going to let do that!"

Lucy sighed. "I don't _actually_ have to click my fingers, you know," she muttered, before shouting. "Shield!"

There was a flash of light and a heavy object dropped from the air. Everlue barely had time to gasp before a huge Spirit shaped like a fat bear with a stomach of iron collapsed onto him from above. The Spirit slammed into the ground with enough force to shattered stone, while Everlue groaned as he barely managed to dive into rock.

Lucy sighed. Clicking her fingers was just something she did to help her concentrate, in the same way other Mages dropped into a stance. Still, the strain of summoning a Gold Spirit, a Silver Spirit and an Bronze Spirit at the same time was eating through her Magic quickly, so she had to dismiss the Revolver and the Shield.

Behind her, Cancer and Virgo were still clashing, but Cancer had the clear advantage in pure speed and accuracy. Already Virgo's body was covered in cut marks and her clothes were shredded by Cancer's scissors. Everlue pulled himself out of the ground slowly, wincing at his sore back.

"You bitch!" Everlue screamed, spinning through the earth in a furious cartwheel that Lucy had to dive to avoid. She skidded up against the wall, just as Everlue shot out of the ground towards like a cannonball.

Lucy grunted, spinning her leg around in a lightning fast kick. The impact jarred her leg, but it sent Everlue crashing into the wall. He tried to stagger upwards, just as a blue shape slammed into his head and he dropped to the ground again. Happy was there in a flash of wings, punching his paw into the duke's face.

"Happy!" Lucy shouted in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Natsu sent me to make sure you're ok!" The cat replied, dismissing his wings as he dropped to the ground.

"Oh, that's cute," Lucy grinned. Behind her, a lightning fast cut from Cancer sent Virgo dropping to the ground. "But I've got this guy, easy."

That fat man was bright red as he glared at her. "Don't you dare!" Everlue growled. "I will not be beaten by someone as ugly as you!"

He dived into ground again. Lucy was expected him to go for her, yet then she shouted in shock as he went underneath Cancer, his arms grabbing the Spirit's legs long enough to trip him over. The next second, Virgo landed a heavy double handed blow and Cancer crashed to the ground.

"I'm sorry – ebi…" Cancer gasped, just before blacked out.

"Ebi?" Happy exclaimed in confusion. Lucy paid him no attention. "Who's that guy and why is he saying ebi?"

"Go now Virgo!" Everlue ordered. "We'll take the ugly one together!"

They both jumped into the ground at the same time. Lucy glimpsed the cracks in the earth as Everlue tunnelled left and Virgo tunnelled right. Lucy dodged right, avoiding Everlue's attack while Virgo's hands just phased straight through her leg.

"Ha!" She smirked. "Celestial Spirits can't hurt me!"

Virgo didn't respond, but she jumped out of the earth and slammed her fingers straight through the stone wall, heaving out a huge chunk of rubble. Lucy barely had time to gasp before the rubble flew towards her, catching her shoulder as the impact sent her skidding to the ground.

Happy's mouth dropped open. "I thought Celestial Spirits couldn't hurt you!"

"Celestial Spirits can't!" Lucy snapped, jumping up while cradling her shoulder. "But flying chunks of rock can!"

Everlue was already on her. He burst out of the ground, grabbing her neck and pulling her downwards. Lucy could hardly breathe as the surprisingly strong arms forced her to the floor. "Now Virgo!" Everlue bellowed. "Finish her!"

The Celestial Spirit heaved out a huge chunk of rubble, wielding it like a club. Virgo's footsteps were deafening as she slammed the stone downwards onto Lucy with a tremendous crack as the rubble cracked into pieces. Happy shouted in shock. The dust flew everywhere.

"Tell me something Virgo…" Lucy's voice came out of the dust cloud. Everlue's eyes bulged in astonishment. A dribble of blood poured down Lucy's forehead, but otherwise she looked unharmed. "…Are you _happy_ with your current contract?"

The Celestial Spirit didn't respond. Lucy's eyes were sympathetic. "You can't answer me, can you?" Lucy continued. "That's because your current 'master' is forcing you to be mindless drone. He's forcing you to take _that_ form. How long has he trapped you in this world? Your strength is terrible."

"Shut up!" Everlue snapped in her ear, trying to strangle Lucy. Her body wasn't moving. "She's my slave I can do whatever I want with her. I made the contract, I _own_ her!"

'Slave'. The word caused Lucy's heartbeat to race with anger. Everlue's arrogance was quickly infuriating her.

"I _see_. You've got Virgo trapped in a strict contract, haven't you?" Lucy muttered with quiet venom. "You're forcing her to stay in this world to be your _maid_ and she is _suffocating_ , unable to scream. Don't you know that the strength of Spirit depends on the bond with the contract holder? You are a _horrible_ Celestial Mage, and don't worry Virgo, I know you can't ask me, but I will not allow you to stay trapped in that contract for any longer!"

Everlue screamed, trying to throttle the life out of her uselessly. His arm was around her neck, but her body felt as strong as iron. "How are you doing this?!" He demanded, eyes bulging.

Lucy snorted. She didn't seem even slightly concerned by his efforts to strangle her. "The bond between me and my Celestial Spirit's works both ways," she explained simply. "Right now, I'm channelling the strength, stamina and toughness of _Taurus_ into my own body. You are just too weak to even hurt me!"

Everlue was beetroot red with rage. Virgo tried to pick up another stone slab, but Lucy casually grabbed Everlue's wrist. There was a crack of bone, and he screamed as he let go and dropped into the ground. Lucy's body was glowing with starlight as she glanced at Virgo, and then back to the unconscious body of Cancer. She was burning through Magic fast, but she would end this soon.

"Allow me to show you what a true Spirit/Mage bond can accomplish!" Lucy announced. "Cancer! Take my strength!"

Everlue surfaced, nursing his wrist gingerly while glaring at Cancer's body. "Don't bother! That Spirit is out cold, there's nothing he can…"

Suddenly, Cancer's body started to shimmer. The Spirit Magic pulsed from Lucy as she closed her eyes to focus. "I told you, the bond works _both_ ways," she murmured. "Right now, I'm putting my own power into Cancer. When my Magic meshes with his, it revitalises him."

Cancer was still shimmering, his outline growing brighter and starting to flex as he pulled himself up. Everlue's mouth dropped open. Lucy smirked. "And it makes him stronger."

The slender hairdresser was slowly starting to shift. His body was growing bigger and wider, while the six crabs legs became longer. His scissors grew in size until they were massive, and slowly his whole shape rippled.

"Thank you Lucy," Cancer muttered, but his voice was deeper and louder. "I'll take it from here – ebi."

"Alright," Lucy nodded, looking at him thankfully. "And I'm sorry; I know how you don't like reverting to this shape."

Nobody moved. In an instant, where there had been had a slim humanoid Spirit, there was now a humongous orange crab surveying the room with beady eyes swivelling on stalks. Eight thick legs twitched experimentally, while Cancer snapped his giant claws in anticipation. The crab stood up to Lucy's chest, but his long legs were bent so far his body was trailing over the ground, while his orange shell was so broad it could have been used as bed.

Happy's eyes bulged. " _That's a crab_!" The cat squealed excitedly. "That's a giant _crab_! That is so cool!"

Everlue dived into the ground. Virgo lashed out with stone brick, but Cancer was faster. Much, much faster. With Lucy's Magic powering his body, Cancer moved so quickly he was nothing but an orange blur scuttling through the room.

With a ferocious snap of claws, Virgo collapsed to the ground and then disappeared back to the Spirit World. Everlue tried to swim through the wall, but Cancer's claws cut through solid stone like a hot knife through butter. The man never even time to scream as dozens of cuts shredded his clothes, removed his hair, and then a giant pincer knocked him to the ground. Duke Everlue came to a landed in a pile on the floor while Cancer finally came to a halt.

Lucy sighed in exhaustion, staring at the crab appreciatively. "Thank you so much. I really look forward to letting you cut my hair."

Cancer grinned, or tried to at least, but a crab's mouth just wasn't built for smiling. Lucy dismissed him with a click of her fingers, and nearly collapsed to the ground with exhaustion.

"Lucy! You ok?" Happy asked with concern.

"I'm fine," she muttered wearily, staggering upwards. Channelling a Spirit's power wasn't easy and it costs Magic to sustain the bond, but supplying her own Magic to a Spirit burned through her Magic furiously. One of the biggest disadvantages of her power was how quickly Celestial Spirits could consume her Magic; she usually tried to be very conservative. "I'm just tired."

"That crab was so cool!" Happy said cheerfully. "Can you bring the crab back?"

"No, Cancer really doesn't like staying in that shape," Lucy explained with a smile, staggering upwards. "He much prefers the whole fashionable hairdresser one."

She paused as she looked down at Everlue's unconscious body. There wasn't a hair left on him, and his fine clothes were in tatters. Lucy grinned as she saw a golden key on the ground next to him. "Well, I'm exhausted…" She muttered, picking up the Gate of the Maiden Key. "But luckily I've got a nice little pick me up."

She carefully placed the Gate Key in her mouth and bit downwards, laughing as the Spirit Magic flooded through her body. It tasted warm, sweet and rich, and the power revitalised her body as she felt the gate connection open up.

* * *

"It seems like the Mages of Fairy Tail think that they're the strongest or something," the bald mercenary commented coolly, still holding his oversized frying pan calmly.

"It is true that we do hear a lot about you," the large one noted, his arms folded. "So we'll approve its status as a top Mage Guild."

Natsu didn't respond. His hand was still flaming as he glared at both the Vanish Brothers.

"…But a Mage is a Mage," the bald one finished. "You are just no match for professional fighters, mercenary soldiers."

That comment caused Natsu to grin. "Then why don't you come and get me?" He said arrogantly, weaving the fire around his fingers until it spelt out the words 'COME ON'. "Both of you at the same time is just fine."

They attacked with furious speed and practiced coordination. The bald one charged first, slamming his frying pan downwards with enough force it cracked the ground. Natsu barely had time to dodge, yet the big mercenary leapt on to grab Natsu, wrapping a huge hand around his overcoat before slamming Natsu into the wall like a ragdoll.

The stone crumbled as Natsu went flying straight through it a cloud of rubble and dust, soaring over the balcony and down to the level below, but the Vanish Brothers were relentless. The short one swung the frying pan like a club, cracking the balcony with an earth shattering impact.

Natsu cartwheeled in the air and landed on the ground, but the Vanish Brothers were already leaping downwards with experienced grace.

"Let's finish this quickly," the bald one muttered. His pose was perfect, while he wielded his oversized frying pan with all the power of a sledgehammer and the dexterity of a dagger.

The earth cracked under a lightning swipe that Natsu barely managed to dodge. The big one was there in less than a second, slamming his fist down before following up with a huge kick. Natsu tried to retaliate, but between their perfect coordination he was forced backwards, nimbly dodging the flurry of attacks.

"You no match for us in neither speed nor power," the bald one said coolly, not pausing his assault for a second. "We train our bodies day and night. Mages don't stand a chance."

They both lashed out with a dual strike that Natsu had to cartwheel to avoid. Still he brushed the dust off and stuck out his tongue mockingly. "Yeah?" He said sarcastically, his arms wide. He was completely unharmed. "Then why are none of your attacks hitting me?"

They paused, analysing his movements critically. "Your speed does seem to be good," the bald one conceded unwillingly. "You have trained yourself, uncommonly for a Mage."

"Brother…" The other muttered, cracking his knuckles. "He wouldn't be able to avoid _that_ attack."

They moved quickly. The big one cartwheeled into the air, just as the bald mercenary used his frying pan to catch him. "I'll tell you why we're called the 'Vanish Brothers'!" The large one roared, bouncing upwards like a gymnast.

"We vanish," the other continued, easily throwing his large brother into the air with one hand, as if flipping a pancake. "And we make others vanish, too."

"Heaven and Earth Extinct Slaying Attack!" They roared, just as they both attacked together.

The speed and coordination was flawless. In an instant, the large one shot up to the air while the frying pan swiped out in a furious arc. Natsu tried to dodge, but it was over in a second. Just as he jumped to avoid the frying pan, the other mercenary dropped down on his with the force of a ton of bricks, slamming Natsu head straight through the ground. The earth cracked and shattered into dust.

A flash of pride flickered through their faces. The solid ground crumbled into rubble under their blow. "That was Vanish Brothers' United Attack!" The mercenary declared triumphantly. "Heaven and Earth–"

Natsu groaned slightly as he pulled himself up, glaring at them irritably. His head was spinning from the blow, but he was more annoyed then anything. "I'm sick of this now," He muttered. Their eyes bulged with shock as he brushed himself down. Natsu slowly took a deep breath. "Just get blown away already!"

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu screamed, as the flames burst out of his lungs and tore through his throat like an inferno of heat and power.

The Vanish Brothers recovered quickly, darting to the side while the shorter mercenary held up his frying pan like a shield. "Fire Magic, as if!" He smirked. "This is Anti-Flame Magic! _Flame Cooking_!"

The pan absorbed the inferno, just as the mercenary twisted around on the spot. Natsu could feel his own fire being absorbed, and he barely had time to react before the explosion of flames burst out of the frying pan straight towards him. The fire was so hot that even the solid stone underfoot started to sizzle.

"A roasted fairy!" The large mercenary laughed triumphantly. "Perfect for starving wolves!"

Natsu's grin was predatory as he jumped out of the fire. The scorching flames surrounding felt like a warm bath to him. The Vanish Brothers never even had time to be surprised as Natsu charged towards them.

"Didn't you hear me?" Natsu smirked, just as his arms exploded in fire. "Just get blown away!"

His burning hands grabbed the pair by their faces, clutching tightly just as he before he threw both of them behind him with ease. The air exploded into burning flames. "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"

Natsu was already walking away just as they crashed to the floor in a smouldering pile of flames. He sighed, recovering his breath as he felt the Magic drain, but he was still ready to move. The Vanish Brothers were muttering incoherently as Natsu casually strolled away. There was a light chuckle from the corner of the corridor.

"Well, you look like you're having fun," Lucy noted, leaning up against a pillar. She was bleeding slightly from the forehead, but otherwise seemed dirty but uninjured.

He stared. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." Lucy shrugged. "I didn't want to disturb you."

"Oh," he muttered, staring around at the devastated mansion. "So are we done here?"

"Nearly," Lucy pulled herself up, indicating for him to follow. "Just one thing we've got to do first."

He followed her for a few steps before she glanced backwards. "Also, I was finished with my fight first," she said teasingly. "That's proof that _I'm_ stronger."

Natsu's mouth dropped open. "I was against two of them!" He protested. "Two big mercenaries! You just had one old pervert!"

She shook her head. "That sounds like an excuse to me."

"Aye!" Happy chipped in, walking closely to Lucy.

"Who's side are you on?!" Natsu demanded at the cat.

The argument lasted all the while they ransacked the duke's mansion. They were laughing all the while.

* * *

The rest of the day was a blur of emotions that left the Mages shattered. Lucy's newest Celestial Spirit, Virgo, seemed quite relieved to finally be free of Duke Everlue's contract. The Celestial Spirit told them the story between the duke and the author, Kemu Zaleon, and was quite helpful in leading them down to the dungeon and tunnelling into the Everlue's private vaults. It took Lucy almost ten minutes with the use of Wind Reading glasses to see through the enchantment left on the book 'Daybreak'.

After that, it was a trip to see Kaby Melon, the client, a relatively tall, middle aged man with grey hair and a small moustache. At first, Kaby was outraged when they handed him the golden book, but as soon as he touched the novel the enchantment, even after thirty-one years, finally unfolded and revealed the true title, 'Dear Kaby'. The story slowly came out between sobs as the man broke down, flicking through the pages while his wife held him closely.

Kaby Melon's father, Zekua Melon, aka Kemu Zaleon, wrote the story specifically for him while locked up by Duke Everlue and forced to write the terrible book 'Daybreak'. The true novel was a beautiful story, a novel so good that Natsu had to tear Lucy away from reading it while Kaby and his wife had their moment.

An hour later and the trio started to leave. Before the question of payment even came out, both Lucy and Natsu waved the issue away, much to the shock of Happy. They rushed out of the manor quickly, still shivering and grinning with emotion as they headed back into town.

"He wasn't really rich, was he?" Natsu said finally, after a long pause.

"Nope. He was the butler working in that house and his wife was the scullery maid, I'm guessing," Lucy agreed, walking side by side with Natsu. "He was just pretending to have money."

"Which means we're not getting paid," Happy sighed, glancing around as the sun fell over the town of Shirotsume.

Lucy just smirked, clicking her fingers. "Oh, I wouldn't say _that_ ," she muttered, just as a large bag appeared in her hands from the Spirit World. It jingled with the sound of jewels.

Virgo really had been helpful going through Duke Everlue's mansion and leading them down to the vaults. Most Celestial Spirits were forbidden to steal or reveal their contract holder's secrets, but under Lucy all of those rules no longer applied. It turned out that duke had been running quite a profitable smuggling operation through the town, and there was a large amount of valuables hidden in the mansion.

Most of the wealth was in bearer bonds and antiques, which Lucy had already decided to donate to Kaby Melon and his wife, under the condition that the pair then used the money to publish 'Dear Kaby', so that other readers could enjoy Kemu Zaleon's final novel. By the time the money and the royalty fees arrived to them, Kaby would probably have enough to buy his own mansion.

All of the _really_ guilty objects; the receipts, the stolen wealth, and the tax records, Virgo had been quite gleeful for the opportunity to drop those off at the authorities. By the time the dust settled, Lucy strongly suspected that Everlue would end up in deep prison charged with… well, basically everything. There had been a _lot_ of incriminating evidence in that vault. Virgo was still working on going through it all.

Even after all that, there was still a fair amount of cash on the property, which, Lucy decided, should rightfully go to them. She still hadn't been able to count it all, but it was definitely enough to more than cover the promised reward.

"Isn't this basically stealing?" Natsu had asked doubtfully, while Virgo ransacked every hidden stash in the mansion. The Celestial Spirit had been a maid for a long time; she knew them all.

"This is all illegal money anyways," Lucy replied happily, although it was hard to argue with the jewels glinting in her eyes. Her mouth was almost drooling with the thought of all that cash. "The government just going to confiscate it. It's practically a civil duty to take it for ourselves."

Lucy was in a good mood as she stared at the sun, slowly drooping behind the mountains. The orange light highlighted the town in a scenic glow, and Lucy felt herself sigh. There was a moment of quiet in the group.

"If you want–" Natsu started.

"You know–" Lucy offered at the exact same time. There was a pause.

"Sorry," Natsu muttered uncomfortably. "You go first."

She smiled softly. "It's getting a bit late to be heading back to Magnolia," she suggested. "Do you want to see if we can find a room here?"

He grinned. "Alright," he agreed, walking into the town.

Happy chattered the whole journey, while Natsu and Lucy walked in comfortable silence. They made a few laps of the town before finally settling on a quaint bed and breakfast, nestled between trees at the edge of the town.

Lucy was feeling generous, so she booked the two largest rooms, and then ordered all the fish that Happy could eat from kitchens. The cat practically collapsed with joy as they started bringing out the platters of fish. He went through a surprisingly large amount of tuna before dropping on to the table for a nap.

It was dark by the time Natsu and Lucy walked up to their respective rooms. They lingered at the doors of their rooms for a long time, while making awkward small talk in the middle of the corridor.

Finally, Lucy smiled and muttered. "Well, goodnight."

He grinned brightly, hesitating as opened his door. "Goodnight."

It was only when she was inside her room that Lucy allowed herself a deep sigh. The room was warm and cosy, covered in thick drapes and a bed smothered in pillows and blankets. She paused slightly, before going for a warm shower, relaxing herself in the water, and then wrapping her body up in a fluffy towel and crashing onto the bed.

She kept the lamp on. She pulled out her favourite Kemu Zaleon book, a classic, and started to read. She never got far before she heard the gentle knock on the door.

Lucy grinned like a buffoon as she slowly cleared her throat and called, "Come in."

Natsu entered her room cautiously. He was still fully dressed, but he left his bag behind in his room. He looked at her uncomfortably, his fingers twitching with unease.

It took a long time before he managed to say anything. Natsu seemed to be having trouble forming words. "Hey," he muttered lamely after a long pause.

Lucy could help but burst out in a wide smile. "Hey," she returned, folding her arms as she lay on her bed. Wearing nothing but a towel.

The moment stretched out uncomfortably long. Neither of them moved, or said a word.

After what felt like an eternity, Lucy broke the silence. "You know you can kiss me, right?" She said with a playful smirk.

There was no hesitation. In an instant, Natsu was moving over to her, bending over as they tangled their arms together. Their lips touched in a spark of electricity. They were both giggling as they collapsed onto the bed together.


	4. Comfortable

Their lips pressed together, hungrily feeling each other's lips in a stream of wanton kisses. They were both nervous, so drunk on the rush that their hands were trembling as they rolled across the bed. Natsu was on his side on the bed, with one arm wrapped around Lucy's head, spinning circles in her hair, as he pushed his head towards hers. She was trying to hold her towel across her body with one hand, while pressing herself close to him with the other. They both squirmed, trying to find the right position while at the same time neither of them breaking the contact.

He tried to move his arm, and Natsu's head knocked against Lucy's with a dull thud. "Ow!" Lucy exclaimed, breaking away from the lip lock.

"Sorry," Natsu muttered sheepishly. Lucy just grinned, pressing her lips in for another go, still rolling to get comfortable.

Her lips played across his, gently biting rolling over his mouth. She tried shifting positions, and they ended up bumping noses against each other. They both stopped to giggle, before Natsu took the lead and held her close as he slowly kissed her lips, falling into the rhythm of each other's bodies.

His hands wrapped around her torso, dawdling on the line between the skin and the towel. Their tongues pressed against each other's gently caressing each other causing Lucy to moan quietly. The kiss stretched on until Lucy was struggling for breath, but Natsu seemed eager to keep going.

They were so close that he could see every spot and blemish on her face. Her lips were softer than anything he had ever known, and every touch and caress sent shivers down his spine. Every time she moaned or shivered it just edged him on further. He could feel the warmth glow inside of him as every movement and tremor rippled between them. And her taste. Her taste was just…

Well, it was just indescribable.

Lucy pushed in further until their lips were squelching together. Natsu responded by being just a little bit more forceful, catching her lower lips between his and sucking softly. She moaned in pleasure with the touch, and then their lips and tongue were fighting dancing between them.

Natsu hands ran over her body and through her hair. He wanted to be everywhere, kissing and stroking across her body, trying to keep up with the pace of wanton embrace. Her fingers caressed his shoulders and down his back, running in between his skin and the fabric of his waistcoat. His scarf dangled in between them, so he paused to pull away over his shoulder. He suddenly felt overdressed.

Each kiss lasted until they could barely breathe. Their lips ran over each other's mouths, lightly nibbling, caressing and massaging until Natsu could barely think properly. His heart was skipping, and he was close enough that he could feel hers racing too. His arms were trembling as they pushed themselves even closer together, until her body meshed into his. So much skin contact was enough to make him lightheaded.

Lucy flinched and pulled herself away abruptly. "Natsu, you're hot."

He stared, before slowly starting to grin widely. She rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean _literally_ hot," Lucy explained. There was gentle steam rising from the perspiration between them. "It's uncomfortable."

"Oh." Natsu blinked. Dragon Slayers had a very natural link to their Magic; control was connected straight to their bodies. Natsu could slowly feel his temperature rising with his heartbeat, and he tried to focus on the breathing techniques Igneel had told him. It had never seemed so difficult.

He took a deep breath, focusing on his Magic. "Ok, let's try again. I'm good."

Their lips touched gingerly. "I hope so," she said teasingly.

"Hey, control is hard for Dragon Slayers," Natsu protested weakly, pulling his body over hers as he kissed more forcefully.

Lucy shrugged. "I don't have any trouble." He didn't reply. "I mean, how you would like it if I accidently summoned a Spirit every time I got _excited_?"

He pulled away to stare at her. The image of the buxom Aquarius flickered through his mind. She could practically see the thoughts churning away in his head. She sighed.

"No, don't answer that one," Lucy muttered, pulling him back into her. "Just keep kissing me."

Natsu grinned. "Happily."

The kissing resumed; slow, steady and rhythmic as they both gradually started to explore each other. Lucy had her eyes closed, breathing deeply in between each kiss as she rolled her hands across his chest, tracing the ridges of his muscles. Natsu's skin tingled with every touch. His rested on the side of her head as he twirled her golden hair between his fingers. Her scent was intoxicating.

His other moved gently around her body, starting at her neck before tracing the lines of her collar bone and heading downwards. She gasped as he cautiously pressed his fingers on the side of her breast, but the kissing never stopped. Her breasts were soft, round yet firm, and he could feel her body tingling as he slowly massaged skin, resting his hand over the cleavage. By some unspoken agreement the towel stayed in place across her body, even it was dangling down around the back.

The pace slowed until it was gentle and compassionate, stretching out every kiss until their hearts slowed to a dull crawl. He could feel her relax as the tension rolled out her muscles, gradually becoming more and more comfortable with the intimacy as she slowly lifted her leg around his body. His hands carefully stroked her outer thigh, feeling the pressure build as she slowly pushed her body across his.

He had no idea how long it lasted. Time seemed to stop. They kissed until they were both breathing heavily, relaxing into each on the fluffy bed. He wanted to make it last forever, but after one timeless moment Natsu finally pulled his head back and collapsed onto the soft pillows. Lucy cuddled up to him contently, draping her arms around his body. Her eyes were closed and her body was still, but he could tell she was still awake as she lightly pecked at his neck, resting her head on his scarf.

"Well…" Natsu sighed, glancing around Lucy's hotel room. It must have been pitch black outside, but between the warm drapes and the bright light of the room it was impossible to tell. Natsu paused, trying to think how to end the sentence. "…That was good. Definitely good."

Lucy giggled. "Only good?"

He nodded, acutely aware that she wasn't wearing any clothes. There was only a fluffy towel separating her body from his. His arm was wrapped around her chest, his hand resting on the side of her breasts. The feel of her boobs just never stopped being mind-blowing.

"Maybe a bit more than good," he mumbled, running his hand slowly up her thigh and across her hip.

"Good," Lucy said with satisfaction, brushing her messy hair backwards. She glanced towards the door. "Do you think Happy has finished his fish yet?"

Natsu's stomach churned. Happy was his best friend in the world, but there were some moments when you just didn't want your best friend around. Having a half-naked, beautiful girl draped across your body definitely qualified as one of those moments.

"If he's finished, he'll come back to my room," Natsu decided finally. "He won't think to come in here looking for me."

"You sure about that?"

"God, I hope so." Natsu really didn't think he could take it if Happy barged in here and interrupted the moment.

She chuckled. The room was covered in thick drapes and bright colours, and already it was quickly becoming toasty. Natsu's skin was so warm he was practically a radiator. Still, Lucy was so cosy that she just couldn't stand moving. She gently snuggled further into him, feeling the warmth grow across her body. Natsu's hands were across her body; playful and caressing, but not uncomfortable.

There was a silence. Natsu cleared his throat. "So…" He muttered finally. "I'm guessing we're more than friends now, right?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What was your first clue?"

"I just needed to clarify it," Natsu said defensively. "You were the one who dragged me into bed."

Lucy ran her fingers across his chest playfully. "Well, you're the one who came into my room."

"You were the one that invited me to kiss you," Natsu retorted. "And you were the one who was _naked_."

"Ok, point," Lucy conceded. "I do look pretty damn sexy in a towel."

There was no argument from him. Lucy in a towel put Lucy in maid outfit to shame. Natsu could already feel the burning in his pants to testify to that.

She paused for a second, glancing at him curiously. "So…" She muttered. "How much _more_ than a friend do you want to be?"

He stared at her. "You're doing this now?"

"Hey, there's no pressure from me," Lucy said innocently. "I kissed you because I really wanted to kiss you. There's no secret plan or hidden traps. Just… I don't know… I wanted to do it…"

Her voice trailed off. Natsu paused, staring into wide, dark browns. "So if I were to kiss you again…" He muttered, keeping his voice calm by no small amount of effort. "…Would you object?"

She grinned. " _Maybe_ ," she replied softly, the challenge in her eyes obvious.

Natsu smiled, closing his eyes and moving his head in. The kiss was slow, deep and passionate. He could feel Lucy sink into him every touch and caress. As they broke away, Lucy sighed deeply.

"No…" She murmured, her eyes still closed. "No objections here."

There was sweat dripping down her body. Her skin felt so soft and warm that Natsu's whole body squirmed. Finally, he had to ask. "And if I were to do _more_ than kiss you…" He said cautiously. "… Would you object?"

She hesitated. "I'm comfortable with you, Natsu," she muttered lamely. "I mean, _really_ comfortable. I'm just… a little nervous too."

Natsu shook his head in shock. "No, I'm not pushing," he said quickly. "I don't want to do anything… Well, I mean, I'm… I guess…"

His voice trailed off before he sighed. "I'm not very good at this," he admitted finally. "I don't to know how to do this awkward part very well."

Lucy smiled softly, kissing the corner of his mouth. "Me neither," she admitted. "So let's… let's just keep it comfortable then."

He couldn't agree more. With Lucy on top of him, it had been years since he had been more comfortable. Natsu sighed, slowly resting backwards into the snuggly pillows as he pulled his scarf off and awkwardly shrugged his waistcoat. He suddenly felt so exhausted, but, at the same time, he really didn't want to sleep.

Lucy looked at him curiously. "So, tell me something…" She asked after a while. "How much experience _do_ you have?"

He hesitated, biting his lip. Lucy raised an eyebrow. "That bad?" She quizzed. "Or that good?"

"It's awkward," he said finally.

She raised her hands. "It's fine; you don't have to tell me anything."

"No, it's just…" Natsu stammered before finding the words. "There have been two other girls."

Lucy looked at him curiously. "Two girls that you've kissed or two girls that you've, well, you know?"

"Two girls that I've kissed," Natsu explained, a slight blush on his face. He hesitated. "I haven't actually, you know, before."

"Right," Lucy nodded, forcing herself to stay composed. "I've never you know'd either, if it helps."

He never replied, but suddenly a big chunk of tension disappeared. Lucy smiled softly, letting herself relax, resting on his shoulder. They were quiet for a long time, staring upwards at the ceiling in comfortable silence.

"Her name was Lisanna," Natsu said finally, in a quiet voice. "She was my first relationship, and she died. That's why it's awkward."

"Lisanna," Lucy said quietly, her eyes sympathetic. There was a sudden sense that this was a subject he didn't like to talk about. She could hear the pain in his voice. "Mirajane's sister?"

"Yes," Natsu nodded. "It hurt a lot of people when she left."

"I'm sorry," Lucy whispered.

He shrugged. "Nah, it's ok," he said simply. "It was long time ago."

There was a pause as a calm, tender silence settled over the pair. "What about the second?" Lucy asked eventually.

Natsu blushed sheepishly. "Erza," he admitted in a quiet voice.

It took a few seconds for Lucy to make the connection. Lucy's eyes widened. "Erza?!" She exclaimed, loudly. "As in, Erza Scarlet, the _Titania_?"

Lucy had never met the woman yet, but the other guild members described her in hushed breaths and fearful whispers, so Lucy had built up an image of some terrifying, seven foot tall she-devil. Natsu nodded, looking mildly embarrassed.

"It was the first (and last) time that Erza went drinking with Cana," he explained. "And Erza is a _mean_ drunk. She got absolutely wasted and started fighting everyone around her. The whole town nearly had to evacuate for the night." A small smile flickered across his face as he remembered the night. Vividly. "I was the one that carried her back to her room, and she was nearly passed out, but then she woke up for a bit… and well, somehow, she started to kiss me."

Lucy chuckled. "And maybe a bit more than kissing too," Natsu admitted. It had been nearly a year ago, and Natsu still didn't know how he was supposed to have reacted. "And then she passed out again."

"Oh… what happened the morning after?"

"She never remembered it," Natsu said with a gulp. It was painful memory, but somehow telling Lucy like this made him smile. "She was _really_ drunk."

" _Ouch_!" Lucy said sympathetically. "But everyone says that you're scared of Erza."

He groaned, a grin playing at his lips. "I'm _terrified_ of her!" Natsu said exasperatedly. "I mean, I just don't know how to act around her now! It's like every time I try to mention it she just beats me up!"

She laughed loudly. He was laughing too. Slowly, he started to talk more about Fairy Tail, particularly his comrades. He talked about the Makarov, Glidarts, Erza, Mirajane and all of the adventures they had had together. There was even a touch of fondness as he talked about his constant battles with Gray.

Lucy listened contently, resting against Natsu as he talked. The minutes clicked by in relaxed chatter. Eventually, Natsu paused and looked at Lucy curiously.

"What about you?" He asked. "Any… relationships?"

She stretched out on the bed. "Just the one really," Lucy said with a faint smile. "Back before I ran away from home, there was someone special."

"Huh, really? Who?"

"Her name was Emily."

"Oh." There was a pause. Slowly, Natsu frowned in puzzlement. The gears in his started to churn. It took him a while, but then he managed to process what she had just said. He nearly jumped out of the bed in shock.

"Wha?!" He exclaimed. "Emily?! As in… _Emily_?"

He stared at her, while Lucy shifted uncomfortably. "But… but… that means… _Emily_?"

"Think very carefully about what you say here," Lucy said coolly, a touch of warning in her voice.

His mouth dropped open. "No, I'm just surprised," he said after a pause. "I didn't expect that…"

She could practically see the thoughts drifting through his mind. "Don't you dare make it dirty or I'll slap you," she said warningly. "Emily was a kind and beautiful girl."

Natsu looked at her curiously. Slowly, Lucy continued. "It was back when I was living at home, well; really I was more like a prisoner. Annika was gone, and my father kept on thinking about arranged marriages. He never let anybody near me except the staff, most of them women, but _then_ there was Emily. She was working as a maid, but she was different from the others. She was so shy and timid, but she actually talked to me and got to know me."

She smiled gently. "She was slender and pretty, and she had the cutest blush," Lucy recalled with a grin. "And yeah, we became pretty close. She really helped me get through Annika's disappearance."

There was something about the tone Lucy talked in that made Natsu relax. He suddenly regretted his initial reaction. "What happened to her?" He asked quietly.

Lucy frowned. "The butler ratted us out," she said simply. "My father fired her on the spot. That was what made me run away. I tried searching for her for a while, but I never could find her."

Natsu hesitated slightly. The image of Lisanna flashed through his mind. "I'm sorry," he said slowly. "It sounds like you were lucky to have known her."

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. After a pause, Natsu had to ask. "So…" He muttered in a voice that he tried very hard not make confrontational. "You like girls, then?"

"I liked Emily," she answered plainly, brushing her golden hair out of her face "And I like you. Do you like me?"

"Of course I do."

"Great. Then we're compatible."

"Right." Natsu nodded, feeling a moment he couldn't quite describe pass between them. After a few seconds, he muttered quietly, "Sorry how about how I reacted."

She shrugged, but she was smiling in satisfaction. "I'm used to it," she said simply, looking at him kindly. "But thank you."

He stared at her with open eyes, maintaining the eye contact for several seconds. Lucy felt the butterflies flapping in her chest. Then, she closed her eyes and slowly pressed her lips against his.

They kissed, and kept on kissing for a long time. It was long, slow and passionate, while the feeling of his tongue against hers sent shivers down her spine. Strangely, her heartbeat was slow and steady. Natsu's hands were on her body; intimate and affectionate, but restrained.

She hadn't intended to go any further, but then again she hadn't really intended anything. All she knew was that she suddenly wanted to do more.

She moaned gently while the slow ecstasy spread through her body. There was no conscious decision, but slowly she start to move further across his body until she was straddling her decision. It felt like the most natural thing in the world as she gradually slid her hand down his waist and into his pants. He didn't gasp, but she felt his whole body stiffen.

"I thought you wanted to keep things comfortable," he whispered gently.

She grinned. His body was so warm that her pale skin glistened in sweat. She could feel the heat rise inside of her too.

"I'm feeling pretty comfortable right now," she said, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she casually dropped the towel. She couldn't help but giggle as he gasped, staring at her in awe.

She was naked and on top of him. Her skin was pale and soft, but he could see every freckle and spot across her body. Her breasts were large and firm, milky white with pink nipples. He could the lines of her muscles across her torso, and the small dimple of her bellybutton. His eyes traced the ridges of hips, moving across her thighs and towards fuzz of dark blond hair of between her legs. The inside of her thighs were glistening wet.

Natsu slowly moved his fingers around her breasts, massaging the areola of her nipple and feeling her body tremor with every touch. The sound of her gentle, breathless moan made him feel ready to burst into flames. "Yep," Natsu nodded. "I've never been more comfortable."

"You'd be a lot more comfortable without your pants," Lucy whispered with a sultry smile, fiddling with the waistline of his trousers.

His belt and trousers had never been so frustrating to remove. She laughed as clumsy fingers struggled impatiently with the button. It took all of his (very strained) self-control not to simply rip the fabric. Lucy helped pull the white trousers down his legs, while Natsu kicked off his shoes. He was wearing red briefs with a pattern of a dragon emblazoned across them.

"They were a gift," he said awkwardly, while Lucy growled back across him. She started at his collarbone and started to kiss his chest, moving downwards with slowly, tender kisses and caressing hands. Natsu groaned, feeling his groin press against the fabric.

"I see," Lucy muttered teasingly, while kissing the ridge of his bellybutton. Her hands wrapped around the edge of his briefs slowly. The undergarments were nearly bursting at the seams. "They're nice briefs…"

She pulled them down slowly, and Natsu couldn't suppress the moan as her hands wrapped delicately around his member. The feeling was exhilarating. He tried to say something, but he couldn't even speak as he felt her touch around his crotch almost curiously. All that came out were short gasps while Natsu leant his head back into the pillows.

And then, he felt the soft touch of her lips gently squeezing around his shaft. He inhaled, closed his eyes, and tried to hold himself in while the sensation overwhelmed his body.

Lucy was hesitant and slow, but he felt the feel of her wet tongue on his tip before mouthing her lips until they were flush against his skin. The rhythm was slow, steady and cautious, but the heat and wetness of her mouth caused him to shudder. His fingers clutched the bed sheets tightly while Lucy slowly started to bob up and down.

Natsu nearly blacked out while she moved. He could feel his balls aching and every muscle tremoring, but Natsu held on for dear life. After several slow minutes that felt like a lifetime of bliss, he the heat flush through his body and he knew he couldn't hold on anymore.

"Lucy…" He gasped weakly. "I'm cumming…"

She pulled her head away, just as his body exploded like a cannon. Natsu collapsed with a huge sigh, while his seed smeared across the sheets. For a few mindless moments he could do nothing but blink and try to recover from the sensation that rocked through her.

Across the room, Lucy popped to the bathroom to wash out her mouth quickly. When she came back, she dropped onto the bed, her breasts jiggling with every bounce. Her face was blushed red, but she was grinning. "Well?" She asked curiously. "Did I do right?"

He nodded weakly. "I think so," he muttered, before gently leaning her onto her back and climbing over her body. She gasped and squirmed, as his weight pressed onto her gently, while Natsu kissed her lips, before trailing down and nibbling across her neck. "Yep, definitely think that worked."

His hands were on her breasts, groping softly while he moved downwards, leaving a line of kisses across her collarbone. Then his tongue reached her breasts, and she squealed slightly when he gently bit down across her nipple. His hands carefully moved downwards to her hips while she shifted himself further down the bed.

Lucy grinned and shuffled downwards until her legs were dangling off the edge of the bed. Natsu took his time moving caressing her thighs while the scent of her aroma filled his nostrils. He paused uncertainly for a moment, before dropping off the bed, kneeling on the ground and carefully pressing his mouth towards her groin.

Lucy gasped and groaned while his tongue teased up and down over the soft skin of her lips. Her back arched while Natsu slowly pressed forward, feeling every tremor and pulse that ran through her body. He could feel her pulse racing while her breathing was short and choppy, pushing him further with every sensation that pulsed between them. The thrill ran through him as he moved his tongue back and forth. She felt muscular and warm, but soft and relaxed with a scent that overpowered his nostrils.

Her legs wrapped around his head tightly while his hands grasped her buttocks, gently levering her off the ground. Lucy moaned slowly, gradually building up in temp as the pace increased. Natsu experimented around her womanhood, before slowly settling on the area that caused her moans to be short, shrill and passionate. He could feel her whole body trembling.

Lucy had to bite her lip to stop her from screaming. Her hands were running up and down her breasts with her eyes closed, struggling to contain the fire burning through her. Her shrill cry became so tense that Natsu half started to wonder if he was doing something wrong.

"Lucy are you alrigh–"

"DON'T STOP!" She screeched loudly, glaring at him with sudden fury. "DON'T YOU DARE STOP!"

His head pushed back in with renewed intensity. A few minutes later he felt her whole body tremor as if it had been struck by lightning, while her arousal drenched his face. Lucy groaned and collapsed into a limp, wheezy puddle on the bed, while Natsu pulled himself off the ground, breathing heavily. He paused for a second, before following her lead and heading to the bathroom to wash his face. Strangely, he didn't really mind the mess across his face.

As he stepped out of the bathroom, Lucy was waiting for him. Her hair was a mess and the sweat drenched her body, but she was grinning madly as she pressed him lips against his in a suddenly ferocious kiss.

"I'm so happy we decided to keep things comfortable," Lucy muttered, gasping for air while Natsu kissed her neck, before slowly moving up and nibbling her earlobe gently. There was a sudden, hungry desire in every movement.

"Yep," Natsu gasped, running his hands over her breasts while her fingernails dug into his back. "Very comfortable."

He could feel his arousal stiffening again. So could she. Lucy wrapped her arms around her torso and lifted herself up, her long legs fastening tightly around his waist. Her lips and tongue washed over his face. Their bodies were squeezing into each other.

Natsu felt a rush of adrenaline more intense than anything he had ever received in a fight. Suddenly, this moment put hundreds of brawls to shame.

The springs groaned as he dropped Lucy on to the bed, slowly crawling over her. For one second, he positioned his erection between her thighs, the tip pressing against her. They were both panting heavily, while she stared at him with an insatiable gaze that made his heart cartwheel. When he pressed down into her, the moment was so intense that she let out a shrill scream of pleasure. The feeling was so intense that part of Natsu's brain just exploded.

Every sensation was shared between them as the rhythm began; slow and methodical but gradually increasing in pace and intensity. He was pressing down on to her, but her legs were around her body and she moved her hips in fluid motion. Natsu could only gasp as he felt the tightness of her body squeeze around him. Lucy groaned at first, but that quickly transformed into moans in joy as she dug her fingernails into his back. It should have hurt, but Natsu honestly couldn't feel it with all the other experiences overloading his senses.

Her hair was billowing widely, while her breasts bounced with every movement. It was taking everything Natsu had to hold himself in as the pace increased, savouring every mind-blowing sensation as his pelvis struck against her thighs and buttocks in rhythmic bliss. Time seemed to stop, yet his body screamed furiously at him for more. He could feel her body writhing as the tremors of ecstasy rippled between them.

Slowly and surely, he felt the convulsion as the pace increased to breaking point. Natsu's skin was burning so hot that sweat was evaporating around him. Lucy didn't even notice as she groaned, struggling to form the words.

Then, her skin started to ripple as the starlight spread around her body like a twinkling glow. Natsu's back burst into flames so hot they sent the drapes on fire. They were both screaming as the world seemed to shatter into euphoric bliss.

Throughout Shirotsume Town, the sirens could be heard as the fire alarms of hotel triggered just as the sun was starting to rise over the horizon.

* * *

Back in Magnolia, the Fairy Tail Guild Hall was struck by a sudden wave of fear as a slender, scarlet-haired woman walked through the door carrying a massive, ornate demon horn, wearing plated armour as she looked around the hall curiously. The Mages quickly rushed to their seats, hiding whatever mess was littered around and tried desperately to look well behaved. The scarlet haired woman just smiled pleasantly at her comrades as she passed.

Mirajane slowly walked out from the bar to greet the new arrival. Erza casually dropped the demon horn on to the floor, where it slammed with a tremendous thud.

"I'm back," Erza greeted, glancing around the building. "Say, where's Natsu?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter marks the end of what I've been calling the Lucy Introduction Arc. Next time; Lullaby appears, and everything really starts to diverge.
> 
> Please, tell me how I did. Any feedback is always much appreciated.


	5. Lullaby

Concerning Living Magic:

Living Magic is, in many ways, a very vague description. There are a great number of different spells and enchantments that can create and modify life, but nevertheless the art itself is considered one of the darkest forms of the Black Arts.

It is often underestimated just how dangerous Living Magic truly is. Magic that is alive, with sentient thought and willpower, cannot be controlled. While other Magic fades with time, Living Magic simply grows stronger. Living Magic can mutate and expand, turning against its creator and devouring them. Four hundred years ago, the Black Wizard Zeref created many 'Demons' using his particular power. It is a sign of the potency of Living Magic that many of those Demons still wreak havoc in the world today. Only the most foolish, insane or evil Mages dare to dabble with such power…

* * *

"Stay calm…!" Kageyama muttered in a panicked whisper, staring at the monstrosity unfolding in front of this. "I can fix this!"

The rest of the guild was deathly quiet as they watched in terror. The building of the Dark Guild Eisenwald was shadowy and gloomy, a looming structure of grey stone in a forest of dead trees. The Dark Mages could only stare as they watched their strongest member, Erigor, thrash madly as he clutched the demon flute, Lullaby.

The sounds were terrifying. Kageyama could feel the Magic flowing from the flute, and it was dark, powerful and sickening. Erigor looked like he was dying, screaming in agony all the while he clutched Lullaby tightly. No one dared to approach, even while the shadows flowed from Kageyama as he desperately tried to restrain the Demon.

"I can fix this…!" Kageyama gasped, using his Shadow Magic to hold Erigor in place as the tendrils of shadows tried to pry the flute from his fingers. "I can fix this!"

His heart was pounding. Lullaby was an old, twisted wooden flute nearly 50 centimetres in length, with a three eyed skull on the end. Somehow, the skull looked like it was grinning. All three eyes were glowing with an ominous purple glow. Erigor thrashed on the ground madly, the flute still trapped into the palm of his right hand.

Slowly, Kageyama was beginning to realise that Erigor wasn't holding onto Lullably anymore; the flute was holding onto _him_.

Erigor looked like he was having trouble breathing. The so-called 'Death God' was left writhing onto the floor in pain as the Magic from Lullaby invaded his system. He was tall, lean-built and muscular, bare-chested and covered in tattoos, but his muscles were bulging as his body tremored in pain. His long silver hair was a mess across the ground. His dark eyes, elongated face and sharp features, normally so smug, was twisted and contorted with pain.

 _This isn't supposed to happen_ , Kageyama thought desperately. Kageyama had Dispelled the demon flute and Erigor were planning on using it against the legal Guilds. _It was never meant to happen like this…_

Around him, the rest of Eisenwald stared in silence, no one barely even breathed. The sounds of the screams echoed around the old, decrepit building. Erigor looked like he was dying. They were all glancing towards Kageyama to do something. The dark haired Shadow Mage could only gulp with panic.

 _Perhaps Lullaby is broken?_ He thought desperately. The flute was supposed to kill anyone but the user when it was played, but Erigor had only touched it. It was an old artefact from the Books of Zeref, so perhaps the Curse had been damaged over time. It had been Kageyama's job to dispel the wards so that Lullaby could be used again, but he was sure he had done his job correctly…

Then, slowly, Kageyama realised that Erigor's right arm was gradually changing colour and texture, as his skin transformed into bark and his muscles turned into tangled wood. The dread fell over Kageyama suddenly as he realised the shadow binds and stumbled backwards.

 _No…_ Kageyama thought in horror. _Lullaby is working just fine. I did my job_ too _well…_

This is the power of Living Magic. Normal spells would decay over time, but Living Magic could grow. This Magic was alive; it could feed, it could grow, it could think, and it could adapt.

And anything that could adapt, could _evolve_.

 _All of those wards had been keeping Lullaby restrained_ , Kageyama thought slowly, backing away towards the door. _I took too many of them away._ _And now it's free…_

They had been fools to think of Lullaby as just an object that they could use. The flute was a Demon of Zeref. Erigor wasn't screaming anymore, but the wind was howling furiously threw the building, shaking the doors and windows. Tables were upturned while paintings were thrown off the walls. The Dark Mages of Eisenwald could only duck for cover, while Erigor continued to transform.

Erigor barely looked human anymore. His right arm had transformed into demonic wood, while the flute fused with his flesh. His whole body was morphing as Living Magic invaded his body like a parasite. His eyes started to glow purple.

Kageyama's courage failed him. He turned and ran for the door, but then a wall of wind took him off his feet. In an instant, the entire building was surrounded by a furious tornado, trapping Eisenwald inside the building. Inside with a Demon…

Erigor wasn't screaming anymore; it was a throatier, more terrifying sound, like laughter. Kageyama felt his whole body tremble as the sweat poured down him. "You've got to fight this, boss," Kageyama begged. "Lullaby it's… it's Taking Over your body!"

The sound of laughter just intensified. Erigor didn't even look the same anymore. His limbs twisted into mangled branches of wood, while his hair transformed pitch black. His face was slowly transforming into wood. Two long horns began to grow from his forehead, curving backwards, while his body grew larger. His mouth twisted into an inhuman, maniacal grin. A large hole appeared in his stomach.

His right arm was a mess of mangled wood, while his hand transformed into an arcing blade, like a scythe. There were holes running across the back of his wrist and arm, like a flute. Slowly, Erigor started to stand up.

The Dark Mages were all terrified. They were used to grizzly assassinations and murders, but nothing like this. Hesitantly, Karacka stepped forward towards Erigor. The short, fat man was sweating madly, is his thick lips trembled. "Umm… Boss?" He muttered weakly, wiping his green hair down nervously. "Are you alright?"

Erigor's inhuman grin widened even further. A purple eye appeared on his forehead. He has still wearing his tattered robes and sandals, but he was so tall his horns pressed up against the tall ceiling.

"Never better!" Erigor said cheerfully, flexing his wooden limbs. "But I am hungry!"

Karacka blinked uncertainly. Around him, the members of Eisenwald were littered around the floor, in a terrified huddle. Kageyama hid behind a bookshelf, trembling madly. "…Well then…" Karacka said in terror. "…We'll get you something to eat…"

"Don't bother," Erigor said with a glimmer in his three eyes. " _I'll eat your souls!_ "

In an instant, the Death God took a deep breath. Kageyama reacted quickly and used his shadows to form a protective bubble around his head, blocking off all sound. The rest of Eisenwald weren't so lucky.

The sound ripped straight through them as Erigor screamed. It was a sound vaguely similar to nail on a chalkboard, yet magnified a thousand times. Dozens of bodies collapse to the ground as the Curse Magic echoed around the air.

Even inside his protective bubble, Kageyama could feel the sound leeching his Magic, cutting straight into his soul. The members of Eisenwald were limp and motionless, even while Erigor continued to inhale. Kageyama glimpsed silvery, translucent shapes leaving their bodies, only to be sucked straight up into Erigor's mouth.

 _He's eating their souls_ , Kageyama realised in horror, feeling his own Magic starting to drain away. _He's draining their Magic and sucking out their_ souls…

Erigor just kept on inhaling. The air was going in his throat and out through the holes on his right arm as he played the terrible melody. He just kept on huffing inwards, even as he devoured the souls of his former comrades. His mouth was twisted into a grin.

It wasn't the normal way that Lullaby killed. Instead, the Demon was combining Erigor's Wind Magic with its own Curse, magnifying the sound with wind as the air sucked away all the Magic from the room. It didn't need anyone to play it; it was playing the melody itself.

After what felt like a lifetime, Erigor stopped. Kageyama collapsed to the ground, but he barely had any Magic left. _I'm the only one left_ , Kageyama realised, staring at limp, soulless bodies of his friends, their faces twisted in horror. With loud footsteps, Erigor approached him slowly.

The fear was paralysing. "…Please… Please…" Kageyama begged, scuttling backwards on the floor until he hit the wall. "Erigor… you've got to fight it! The Demon is possessing you! You've got to fight it!"

Erigor smirked, his wooden fist twisting into an evil smile. "Fight it?" Erigor muttered in a voice that was disturbingly familiar. "Now why would I _want_ to do that?"

Kageyama's eyes bulged as he realised his mistake. He recognised that stance, that smug grin, those cold eyes. Lullaby wasn't possessing Erigor's body, instead they must have... well, it was like they had _merged_ …

The brute strength and evil desire of a Demon combined with the skill and murderous intent of an infamous assassin. Raw power and expert Magic. An evil being with Erigor's own personal vendetta. Erigor longed to kill and Lullaby longed to eat. Erigor would be a gracious host and Lullaby a grateful passenger. A mutually beneficial possession.

 _Oh, they would get along perfectly_ , Kageyama realised in utter dread.

"Don't you see?" Erigor laughed, his demonic body trembling in glee. "This power is a gift! Lullaby is so much more than I could have ever hoped. This is the power that can deliver punishment against the legal Guilds that banished us to the darkness! With this power, I can deliver justice against those that opposed us!"

Kagayama's eyes bulged in fear. The pure insanity in Erigor's eyes had never been so obvious. The wind howled around him, screaming in his ears. He glanced towards the fallen members of Eisenwald.

"But… But…" Kageyama stammered pleadingly. "…You murdered our comrades! Where is the justice in that?!"

Erigor just smirked. "Murder?" He said coldly. "Why, I would never _murder_ them…"

Around them, gradually, the bodies of the former members of Eisenwald started to twitch. Kageyama finally lost control of his bowels as he saw his former friends rise of the ground, with a cold, dead gaze in their eyes. The horror of the situation fell over him like a cold sweat as he saw the skin of the Dark Mages transform into wood.

His friends had been left soulless, empty husks, powered only by Lullaby's melody.

 _Demonspawn_.

"Welcome to the _new_ Eisenwald," Erigor murmured quietly, before raising the scythe on his right arm and chopping downwards. Kageyama slumped to the floor as the wooden blade cut into his chest. His eyes bulged as he saw the blood gush out of the wound, even as his skin started to turn to bark.

 _The world is doomed_ , Kagayama thought in dread. _And it's all my fault_ …

That was the last thought he would ever have.

* * *

It was past noon by the time Lucy and Natsu returned to Magnolia. The pair strolled casually into town, holding hands, while Happy rested tiredly over Natsu's shoulders. The cat was still knocked out after eating at least his own body weight in fish. For most of the journey, they were quiet, but it was comfortable, easy type of silence as they enjoyed the walk.

The vivid memories from last night still kept them quiet. Even the fire alarm and being chased out of the hotel did little to stop the phantom sensations that tingled across their bodies. During the journey, Natsu walked closely against Lucy, her scent almost addictive, and they both had to bite their lips to stop them from jumping the other and falling down into a sweaty mess of heaving bodies…

Natsu shivered with the thought. It was a wonder they managed to get back to Magnolia Town at all.

It was only as they approached the Fairy Tail guild building that Lucy shifted uncomfortably. "Hey, Natsu…" She said awkwardly. "Is it ok if we keep what happened between us quiet for now?"

He frowned. "What do you mean? Burning down the hotel, or… _that_ …"

"Yeah, _that_ ," Lucy nodded. "It might be best if we don't tell anyone for the time being."

"Oh," he said confusedly. "Do you regret it?"

"Of course not!" Lucy retorted, flushing slightly.

"Then why _shouldn't_ we tell anyone?" He asked with a frown.

Lucy pushed her long hair backwards. "Well…" She murmured quietly. "I'm still new here, and it just seems… well, I don't really want to make a fuss about it. Let's sort this out between ourselves first, ok?"

She stared at him pleadingly. Natsu paused. "I really don't like lying to my friends," he said uncomfortably.

"It's not lying!" Lucy protested. "We just don't have to tell them everything."

He hesitated unhappily for a moment, but then he stared into Lucy's wide eyes and sighed. "Alright," Natsu relented. "We won't tell anyone we slept together."

She beamed. "Thank you!" Lucy said happily, pressing her lips up against his cheek for a soft kiss. Her hair brushed into his face.

Even after last night (and most of this morning), the skin contact still caused him to jump. Her scent overpowered his nostrils. Natsu didn't know how it happened, but suddenly he was pressing up against her, his lips pushing against hers hungrily. Lucy giggled, leaning backwards slightly while his hands wrapped around her waist, while their tongues danced between them.

He could feel the breath moving between them, and he could feel every beat of her heart, every tremor of her body, every tingle and every sensation. Natsu opened his eyes just to see the sultry look in hers, and suddenly he was planning on how long it would take him to get back to his house, rip her clothes and…

There was a click from behind him as the door to the guild opened. Lucy reacted first, pushing him away so quickly that she toppled to the ground. Natsu could only stare dumbly while Gray exited the building, casting a curious look over the pair.

"Flame brain," Gray muttered absentmindedly, walking around shamelessly in nothing but his boxers. Lucy's face was blushed, but she stared at Natsu apologetically as she recomposed herself and headed into the guild.

Natsu had never hated Gray more than he had at that moment.

Still, once he was inside Fairy Tail the familiar atmosphere overtook him. Mirajane was serving drinks at a nearby table, but she grinned brightly and rushed over to hug Lucy while the Mages roared to greet them.

"Hey!" Mirajane said warmly. "How did your first mission go?"

Lucy beamed happily. " _Really_ well."

Natsu was just starting a fight with Elfman as Makarov hobbled into the building, and took his normal seat on top of the bar. He glanced towards Natsu and Lucy curiously.

"Oi!" The Guild Master called. "Natsu! Lucy! A word!"

Natsu paused, right in the middle of punching Elfman. "What's up, Gramps?"

Lucy walked towards him cautiously. Makarov frowned slightly at Natsu's disrespect but didn't say anything. He glanced between Natsu and Lucy with confusion. "I've just got a complaint from Shirotsume," he said finally. "Nice work exposing that Duke, but did you two really burn down a hotel?"

Lucy paled. Natsu blinked, glancing towards her uncertainly. She gulped. "Um… yes," she said finally in a panicked murmur. "…But, well, I mean… it wasn't really that big of a hotel anyways. More like a bed and breakfast than anything. And it's not like the _whole_ building burnt down…"

Makarov just frowned. "I'm used to Natsu burning down stuff," he said with an exasperated glance towards the Fire Dragon Slayer. "I'm just wondering _why_. Not even he demolishes _every_ building he stays at. What happened?"

Natsu blinked again. Makarov was expected a reply, but he just looked towards Lucy to answer. A bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. "Umm…" She muttered, racking her brain for an excuse. "Bandit attack!" She said finally. "There was a bandit attack! We fought them off, the hotel burnt down!"

"A bandit attack?" Makarov frowned. "How strange; I haven't received any reports of bandit activity in the area…"

Lucy squirmed slightly. "Well, I doubt anyone noticed," she murmured. "It was only a _small_ battle…"

Natsu bristled, staring at her in objection. "Hey!" He protested. "It was not small!"

Her face reddened. Makarov just stared between them in growing confusion. "I really don't think the size of the battle matters right _now_ ," Lucy growled through gritted teeth, causing him to wince as she stamped on his foot.

He scoffed. "You thought the size was important last night…" Natsu muttered moodily, not quite under his breath. "You kept on saying so…"

Lucy felt a vein throb on her forehead, but she just grinned brightly at Makarov, willing him to believe the lie desperately. "So…" The old man said sceptically. "There was a bandit attack of indeterminate size on a _hotel_ , then?"

She nodded, not meeting his eyes. "That's right."

"Were the bandits after a place to stay the night, by any chance?" He said sarcastically.

Lucy clutched the flimsy lie like a lifeline. "I'm not really sure what they were after," she said simply. "I mean, it was over so fast–"

"Oi!" Natsu protested. "It was not over 'fast', it was at least–"

Her elbow collided with his stomach with enough force to knock him onto the ground. Lucy didn't even look around, she just kept on smiling at Makarov with forced brightness. After a couple of seconds while Natsu pulled himself off the floor, the Guild Master sighed.

"Alright," the old man relented. Lucy felt her heart skip. "I'll talk to the major, explain what happened. I'll also have to contact the militia, and warn them about the bandits in the area."

Lucy nodded eagerly, half dragging Natsu away before he could make it any more difficult for her. "That sounds like a good idea," she said enthusiastically, moving away from the bar.

Makarov nodded absentmindedly and returned to reading through a pile of letters. Lucy sighed in relief, walking into the centre of the room.

Suddenly, the Guild Master shouted towards her again. "Also!" Makarov called loudly, so that the whole building could hear him. "The next time you two have _sex_ , try not to burn the building down!"

The whole room froze. In an instant, Lucy was standing with Natsu in the centre of crowd staring at them while Makarov's words echoed through the building.

Makarov was already returning to his paperwork, but Natsu caught the mischievous grin flash across his face. "… Little brats…" He muttered under his breath with a chuckle.

There was a moment's silence, and then suddenly the Mages started to clap and cheer loudly for Natsu and Lucy. The whole hall instantly erupted in celebration. Lucy felt her cheeks turn bright red, while Natsu just grinned.

"See?" He said cheerfully. "They're supportive!"

She could have died from embarrassment. Lucy groaned and collapsed to the ground, while Natsu was overtaken by a crowd of men high-fiving him.

The loudest voice in the crowd was that of Elfman's, who was roaring at the type of his lungs. "Congratulations, Natsu!" He bellowed. "Now you're a _real_ man!"

Lucy dropped into a pile on the floor, only for a gentle hand to pull her upwards. Cana was instantly by her side, looking sympathetic, despite a teasing glimmer in her eyes. "Come on," Cana said softly. "Just ignore them."

She sighed, while around her a crowd of girls formed slowly. Natsu was being carried on top of a crowd of cheering men towards the bar. Lucy's shoulders slumped.

"Do they have to be so immature about it?" She muttered weakly.

"They're men. It's what they do," Cana explained with a grin, wrapping her arms around Lucy reassuringly. "Just let them be men."

Levy was instantly jumping towards her, the petite, blue-haired girl bouncing happily. "Oh, Lucy, congratulations!" She said excitedly, hugging the Celestial Dragon Slayer tightly.

Despite herself, Lucy couldn't help but grin. Cana smirked, the buxom brunette was still holding a glass of wine. "Tell me something," Cana asked cheekily. "What's his _stamina_ like? I've always been curious…"

Lucy blushed. "I'm not…" She stammered, blushing even more. "It's just…"

Cana patted her on the hand softly. "Got it, I'll put a couple of drinks into you and _then_ you'll tell us all about it," She said cheerfully, walking towards the bar. "Mira, let's serve some booze, this is a reason to party!"

"Everything is a reason to drink with you…" Levy muttered under her breath.

The girls stopped as they saw Mirajane. The white-haired Mage had her eyes closed tightly, her body trembling as she wept into her hands. She was sobbing quietly. Lucy blinked.

"Mira…?" Lucy asked gently, approaching the barmaid. "Are you alright…?"

She didn't reply. Lucy's mouth dropped open. "Mira… do you have _feelings_ for Natsu?"

Mirajane paused, looking upwards. "What, _no_!" she said dismissively, her eyes still watering. "But I was going to be the one to set you two together!"

"Huh?" Lucy said confusedly.

"I had this whole plan as well!" Mirajane sobbed. "I'd send you both out on this mission to a romantic island, hunting flowers, and then you'd just 'bump' into each other and it'd be true love! _I_ was going to play matchmaker! How you could you just hook up like that without telling me!"

"Oh, Mira!" Lucy said sympathetically, hugging her tightly. "That's so sweet, but… well, I'm sure there'll be plenty of other people for you to match up!"

Mira stifled, still crying into Lucy's shoulder. "Like who?"

Lucy floundered helplessly. "Umm… well…" She muttered, glancing around the crowd. "Well, I'm sure you could match Cana up with someone!"

She just started to cry harder. "Oh, like _that_ would ever happen!" Mirajane wailed. "It's hopeless!"

Cana bristled and then stomped off moodily to get the drinks. Instead of mugs, Cana returned with two large kegs over her shoulders; one for her and one for everyone else. That was when the party really began.

* * *

Natsu laughed loudly as the booze was served. Elfman was next to him, roaring him in, while Loke was scowling slightly, muttering under his breath about Natsu not appreciating beautiful girls enough. Natsu took the mug cheerfully; gulping the cool liquid down happily. He usually didn't care much for alcohol, but he could burn through it so quickly that he rarely got drunk.

Behind him, there was a giggle from the other side of the hall. Lucy was sitting at the opposite bar, laughing with Cana, Levy and Mirajane. They were all drinking. Occasionally, one of the girls wound glance towards him. Somehow, Natsu really didn't like the way they were laughing.

Next to him, Macao seemed to read his mind as he patted Natsu on the back sympathetically. "They're girls, man," Macao said simply. "They tell each other everything."

Natsu stared at him dumbly. Macao sighed, and repeated slowly. "They tell each other every little thing," he explained. "Every. _Little_. Thing."

Macao chuckled at his expression as he walked away. Natsu had to stop himself from shifting along to eavesdrop on what the girls were saying. Suddenly, telling everyone about their relationship didn't seem like such a good idea.

* * *

The mood was infectious, and Lucy could help but drink a little more than she should, feeling the warm buzz as she became a little bit tipsy. Cana pressed her for details, and somehow managed to turn her embarrassed chortles and gasps into every innuendo possible. Even Levy, sweet, innocent Levy, proved to have a surprisingly dirty mind that came from reading too many 'romantic' novels.

Still, it was a brilliant evening, particularly considering it was still bright outside. Nobody really managed to get drunk, mostly because Cana drank most of the ale before anyone else had a chance.

After a half an hour, Loke strolled up towards Lucy. Whenever he saw a group of girls together, the orange haired Mage just couldn't resist.

"Ah, Lucy…" Loke sighed melodramatically, pushing slowly towards her. "My heartaches for you, being burdened with such a brute of lover…"

Lucy blinked, but she was in a good enough mood that she didn't reactively punch him. Around her, the girls started to laugh. Loke gently took Lucy's hand, adjusting his green coat as he stared at her deeply through azure-tinted sunglasses.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered gently. "Even looking through the shades of my sunglasses, you're still so beautiful. If I looked at you with my naked eyes, they'd probably shatter into pieces…"

Loke sighed deeply, placing his hand on his chest. "Much like my heart shatters every time I stare into your eyes…"

Lucy was just about to respond, when her nose crinkled as a strange scent hit her nostrils. Lucy frowned. Next to her, Levy rested her head in her hands as she looked at Loke. "I'm surprised you're interested in Lucy," the petite Mage commented. "Considering your thing about Celestial Mages."

At once, Loke flinched away from her. "Wait, you're a _Celestial Mage_?!" He demanded.

She just scratched her head, but Mirajane answered for her. "Haven't you heard?" She commented. "Lucy is the Celestial Dragon Slayer."

The dread hit Loke so hard he nearly toppled backwards. His glasses fell of his face and instantly Lucy got a glimpse at his eyes. Realisation clicked. Loke squealed in shock.

"…You're… you're…" Loke gasped breathlessly, before turning to run out of the building in panic. The rest of the guild looked at him in surprise.

Lucy just nodded. "Oh…" She said quietly, placing her glass on the bar.

"I've never seen him react like that," Mirajane noted, rubbing her chin. "Normally he reacts pretty badly to Celestial Mages, but that was worse than normal."

The Celestial Dragon Slayer just nodded distractedly. "I've got to go," Lucy muttered, before quickly walking out of the building after Loke.

She corner Loke about two streets from guild building. He was trying to hide in an alley, but Lucy had his scent and there was no way he could hide from her. She always had been particularly good at tracking down Spirits. Loke looked terrified as she approached slowly.

"Please don't…!" He pleaded, holding his hand out in front of him. The magic ring glinted in the sun. Lucy wasn't scared. "Please don't eat me!"

She giggled as she held up her hands. Most Spirits knew Annika's reputation, so it wasn't uncommon that a lot of them were terrified of her too. She was capable of eating him off course, but there were just easier meals.

"I'm not going to eat you!" Lucy reassured gently. "I just want to talk, _Leo_."

The Celestial Spirit Leo the Lion didn't lower his ring. The magic ring had a Lacrima crystal embedded in the centre, and didn't actually rely on Spirit Magic. It was a weapon that could probably hurt Lucy directly, even if the Spirit using it could not.

"It's Loke now, not Leo," Loke scowled. "Just leave me alone. I want nothing to do with the Spirit World."

Lucy nodded. "I can tell; you've got so little Spirit Magic left I'm not surprised I couldn't smell you," she noted. "You smell almost human. How long have you been in this world?"

Gradually, Loke seemed to calm down, though he was far from at ease. Lucy kept her distance cautiously. "Three years," he said after a pause, a flicker in his eyes.

"Three years…" Lucy gasped in amazement. Being trapped from the Spirit World for even a day was torture for a Spirit; they would suffocate like fish out of water. "Three years! How are you still alive?!"

Loke's hands clenched into fists. "It gets easier," he muttered under his breath.

"Wow," Lucy muttered in amazement. "I didn't expect to find _you_ here. Where's your Key?"

He shrugged. "Gone, lost, stolen. It doesn't matter," Loke said, his voice thick with bitterness. "The Gate is broken. I'm barred from the Spirit World."

"You broke the rules," Lucy realised. It wasn't a question. There were so many rules that bound contracted Spirits. "Which one?"

Loke scowled. "Does it matter? I'm exiled for good. The Celestial Spirit King would never allow me back in."

"Huh. You really mustn't have much time left," Lucy said softly. "It's pretty impressive you've lasted so long, but you really must be dying now."

He didn't respond. Lucy just smiled softly, before slowly holding out her hand. Her palm started to glow as ball of Spirit Magic hovered over her hand. The air glimmered. Loke looked shocked.

"Here, take it," she offered with a shrug. "Free Spirit Magic. It's not much for me, but with the way you're rationing it, you should be able to get an extra week out of the boost."

Loke stared at her suspiciously, before slowly extending his hand. As his finger touched the ball of the Spirit Magic, he gasped as he felt the energy flow up his arm. He'd been living on slivers of Spirit Magic for years, the power felt like his first breath of fresh air after drowning for so long. He nearly sagged to the ground with relief.

Lucy grinned. "When you want to open up to me, I'll be waiting," she said simply, turning to walk away. She paused slightly. "Also, you know that it's possible for you to get back to the Spirit World?"

The Celestial Spirit stared at her in shock. "I can't…" He gasped weakly, feeling the buzz of energy flow through him. "I broke the _laws_ …"

She just shrugged. "Those are the Celestial King's laws, not mine," she said dismissively. "All of my Spirits are exempt from any of those laws. If you became my Celestial Spirit, then you'd be able to return to Spirit World safely."

There was a quiet, stunned silence. Loke stared at her with shock. "But…" He said in dull voice. "The only way that could happen is if you had my key, and that's gone…"

"True," she conceded. The Celestial Spirit King could summon keys and reward them at will, but she couldn't. Besides, there was no way that the Spirit King would ever help _her_. Lucy thought about for a while, but there was really only one option.

"Well then," she said finally. "I guess I'm just going to have to make you a new Gate Key."

* * *

It was getting late by the time Erza returned to guild building. It wasn't quite sunset, but getting close. She frowned slightly as she entered the doors, listening to the ruckus within. A few of the wiser Mages tried to hide their mugs under the desk and act orderly, but most were too distracted to notice her approach.

Erza scowled as walked through the Guild Hall, down the rows of tables. In front of her, Elfman staggered out in front of her path, holding a mug of beer up to the crowd. He didn't notice Erza approach.

"Come!" Elfman roared loudly, spilling liquid from his mug. "Only the manliest men can hold their beer! I will be the last man stand–"

He was cut off by an armoured fist being rammed into his stomach. Erza barely gave him a second glance as he groaned and crashed to the ground. The mood turned silent.

"If you're going to drink," she said a schoolteacher strict voice. "Then sit in your seats and drink quietly."

One by one, the Mages slowly returned to their seats. Erza cast a glance around the room. "Wakaba, mop up this mess," she ordered, walking slowly towards the bar. "Vijeeter, stop spilling drinks everywhere."

The crowd parted to let her through. Erza glanced at Mirajane. "What's going on here?" She demanded. "This type of behaviour is shameful."

Mirajane chuckled, scratching her head. "Oh, we're just celebrating," she explained happily. "Did you know that Natsu and Lucy are a couple now?"

There was no visible reaction from Erza. The armour Mage stayed completely still. "Natsu and… Lucy?" She repeated quietly.

"Oh, that's right," Mirajane apologised. "You haven't met Lucy yet. She's a new recruit that arrived a while ago. She's the Celestial Dragon Slayer. She and Natsu are really cute together."

Again, Erza stayed completely still. A very keen observer might have noticed that she didn't seem to breathing. The red head only had one eye visible with her long red hair half brushed across her face.

"I see," Erza said simply.

Mirajane just smiled brightly. "Oh, that's right! You were looking for Natsu yesterday for a mission, weren't you? He's in bathroom at the moment, but I'm sure he'd love to go on the mission with you."

"It wasn't just Natsu," Erza said sharply. "Gray. I was going to take Gray _and_ Natsu on a mission."

She had made a point of asking for Gray as well; it made sure that she wasn't focusing on just Natsu. Still, that whole mission had lost its purpose when Natsu hadn't been available.

Mirajane hushed over to serve drinks, while Erza slowly sat down at a bar stool. Her Heart Kreuz Armour clunked slightly against the table. Her hands were clenched tightly, but as the rest of the guild realised that she wasn't going to punish them, the atmosphere slowly returned.

"This… _Lucy_ …" Erza asked after a while, as Mirajane approached. "…What's she like?"

The white haired woman shrugged. "She's nice. Blond, pretty, carefree. Really easy to be around," Mirajane replied. "She went chasing after Loke a while ago, but I'm sure you'll enjoy meeting her."

Erza smiled; or, at the very least, her mouth moved up at the corners. There wasn't any humour there. "I'm sure I will."

Around her, the celebration continued. Most days were celebrations in Fairy Tail; it was very easy for them to find something to celebrate. After a few minutes of silence, Erza approached the bar.

"I'll take a beer," she said with forced sweetness, holding out some coins towards Mirajane.

Mirajane stared at her with shock, sweating slightly. "Umm… Are you sure that you should be drinking?" Mirajane said quietly. "You remember what happened the _last_ time you started drinking…"

Erza's smile could have been painted on. "Yes," she replied simply. She really never needed anyone to remind her what happened the last time. "Now pour me a drink."

There was a just a hint of warning in her voice. Erza remembered the time when Mirajane would have challenged her for talking so rudely, but she just smiled and handed her a mug. Still, there was just a flash of darkness in the woman's eyes.

The beer was frothy and bubbling. Erza was just about to take a sip when a hand reached out and stopped her. Erza stared in shock as Makarov's elongated arm touched her wrist.

"It's probably best if you don't," The Guild Master said quietly, still sitting cross-legged on the bar, smoking his pipe.

Erza was just about to object, but Makarov cast her an uncharacteristically serious glance. "You know that I normally let you enjoy life to the fullest. But not tonight," he said quietly, glimpsing around the hall. "I will be shutting this party down before it gets too far. I fear that tonight we will need everyone at their peak."

She frowned. "Is something going to happen?"

"Perhaps," Makarov admitted. "Or it may just be that I'm a paranoid old man. Either way, I don't want my children to be drunk if trouble does arrive. There have been… worrying occurrences."

"What?" Erza demanded, before frowning. "Speaking of which, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the Regular Meeting?"

"The Regular Meeting was cancelled. There have been too many disappearances around Oshibana Town; too many people have vanished, too many small settlements have become quiet," Makarov explained darkly. "Whole trains have simply disappeared. Many are starting to fear what is happening, and the Guild Masters don't want to leave. I do not know who, or what, is attacking civilians, nevertheless where they will strike next, but I will rest a lot easier knowing that all of my children have the presence of mind to defend themselves."

Erza's eyes widened in shock, but she nodded. Makarov's voice was low. "Don't tell anyone. Let them enjoy the moment," he ordered quietly. "But stay alert. I fear that dangerous things may be coming towards us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Dark creatures approach... 'Trick or Treat'...


	6. Trick of Treat

The clock ticked slowly towards midnight. In the silent, dark night, the train station was restless quiet as all eyes watched the clock hand move with agonisingly slow speed. The building was so quiet that each tick of the clockwork sounded like a sledgehammer.

The ticket officer was pacing. Magnolia's train station was mostly deserted, with only him, the conductor, and the night manager still on the premise. Still, the walls reeked of wrecked nerves and unspoken fear.

The man glanced towards the clock. It was now four minutes past twelve at the dead of night. In the last decade, the train station had had their fair share of delays, yet never _seven_ in a row.

"Perhaps there's wreckage on the track," the night manager suggested with forced optimism.

"Then why haven't they called it?" The ticket officer said darkly, narrowing his eyes as he stared down the tracks. The communication lines had been eerily silent all evening. The station was as quiet as the grave.

The manager opened his mouth a few times to try and think of a reason. Finally, he settled for a lame, "I'm sure it'll be fine."

The minutes clicked by in painful silence. They were all twitching and nervous as the night seemed to grow even more ominous. The only sound was the frantic breathing as the night manager puffed cigarette after cigarette. It was nearly one by the time they all recognised the familiar rumble of the locomotive driving down the tracks.

The manager nearly collapsed in relief. All three men realised a breath they hadn't realised they were holding. "Thank god," he muttered in relief. "That'll be the 11.56 from Clover."

The rumbling became louder, but it was too dark to make out any details as the dark shape rolled along the tracks. It was the conductor who realised it first. Even in the gloom, he knew every train that passed through Magnolia by its engine alone.

The heavyset man shook his head in quiet dread. "That's not the 11.56," he muttered in terror. "That's the wrong bloody train…"

They all turned and stared. That was when the music began.

It started as softly as a breath of wind, like a giant animal exhaling gently in the night, but it grew in tempo slowly as the rhythm hit them. It was slow, raw, and steady, like the heartbeat of a monster, resonating gently in the wind. The noise carried a power that cut straight through the walls and into their skin. It was dark, mellow and rumbling.

If they had been in any condition to listen, then they would have recognised the sound as laughter. Instead, the men were too busy screaming as their souls were ripped out their bodies from the melody. Even the bloodcurdling screams were drowned out by the low rumble of that tune.

Above the town of Magnolia, the clouds churned and the wind became fierce while the train docked at the station with a tremendous groan.

Wooden feet shaped like talons touched the platform as Erigor calmly exited the train. The demon cast only a cursory glance at the men screaming in terror as he stared out into the gloom of the town.

"So this Magnolia…" Erigor muttered in a raspy voice. "What a nice place to catch some flies…"

Whatever shred of humanity there had been was soaked away as the Mage morphed further with Lullaby. He didn't even look remotely human any more. His body was made out of gnarly wood twisted into sharp edges, while two huge horns jutted outwards from Erigor's skull. His eyes were purple and almost bird-like, and his forehead was dominated by a third eye that gleamed with unnatural energy. His right arm was mangled and bent into the shape of a jutting scythe, and there was a gaping hole in the centre of his chest where his heart should have been.

With every breath, Erigor exhaled through the holes over his body, producing a shroud of dark wind that coated his skin, and the dark melody echoed around him. The very air seemed to shudder from the demonic tune.

The three men weren't screaming anymore. They were rolling on the ground; their faces red and their bodies twisted in nightmarish pain. Their ears were bleeding. Erigor barely even glanced at the ticket manager as he walked by, idly using his scythe arm to split his skull. The blood splattered over the ground.

The demon smirked as he turned to face the conductor, still sitting in his booth. Erigor took a large breath and inhaled, while the melody reached a nightmarish peak. The conductor gasped one final time just as his soul was yanked from its vessel, being sucked into Erigor's gaping mouth like a vacuum.

Erigor spat with disgust as he swallowed the soul. "Pathetic," he sneered in a demonic voice. "I'm sick of eating the souls of such weaklings. I want a _strong_ souls. I want souls soaking in Magical energy."

The doors of the train clicked open. Slowly, the lumbering shapes of the former Eisenwald members staggered out of the carriages. They were humanoid, more or less, but their eyes were vacant and empty while their skin had a rough, gnarly texture almost like bark.

A body that once belonged to Kageyama stumbled by him, and the demonspawn growled hungrily as it saw the thrashing body of the night manager. Erigor glanced at the only remaining human bemusedly, before holding up to halt Kageyama. The terrible melody paused and the air turned quiet.

The man shuddered as the song stopped and suddenly he could think again. He took one look at Erigor and the army of demons departing the train, before turning and running frantically towards the town. The terrified screams echoed through the night, even louder than the howling wind. Erigor just grinned as he watched the sleeping town slowly start to wake.

"Let's give them some warning that we have arrived," Erigor said with a hungry smile, running a tongue across jagged teeth. "All that fear and adrenaline – it makes the soul so nice and _juicy_."

The demonspawn didn't respond. They were just husks, after all, with no personality remaining. They were just dead bodies animated by the Lullaby still echoing through their skulls. Erigor looked at his former guildmates with mild contempt, before reaching a decision.

"You lot attack first," he ordered, causing the demonspawn to shamble towards the town. "Soften them up for me. I want them to be _terrified_."

The monsters lurched slowly down the stones towards the exit of the building, filing through the ticket machines. Erigor never had high expectations of them, but he might as well make them useful. They were all expendable.

Across Magnolia, the wind roared like a beast, slowly swirling into a huge typhoon circling the town. An enormous wall of wind completely sealed the town. Erigor chuckled, causing the melody to thunder off the walls as he watched the demons descend.

"Come on, _flies_ …" He growled hungrily, focusing on the lights of the Fairy Tail guild hall in the distance. Even as a demon, his hatred of the legal Guilds never faded. "… _Let's make a feast out of this!_ "

* * *

The wind was so strong it shook the roof. Makarov looked worried, but stayed quiet. The guild was as lively as ever, even in the dead of night.

"Whoa," Levy commented quietly. "The storm's really picking up out of there."

Lucy nodded as she sat back down at the bar. Despite the laughter, there was a hint of concern in the eyes of some of the Mages. Natsu met Lucy with a wide grin, gingerly kissing her on the lips. She grinned brightly, and the casual intimacy was still so foreign it made her giggle. Next to her, Mira smirked and Elfman roared in approval. No one noticed that Erza was missing.

"Hey, where did you disappear to?" Natsu asked quietly.

Lucy hesitated, thinking back to the somewhat tense conversation with Loke. It felt like betrayal to tell his secret so casually. "I'll tell you later," she said with a meaningful glance. "It's… complicated."

"Oh," Natsu said in confusion, but he didn't press the issue. "Anyways, me and Happy were about to head off now, so, um, are you going…"

His voice trailed off into a mumble. Lucy smirked. "Are you inviting me back to your place?"

"Would you like to come?" He asked cautiously.

She hesitated only for a second, brushing her blond hair backwards. Natsu's shirt was unfastened, revealing an extremely well-toned chest, and that was one hell of a motivator. "Alright," Lucy replied quietly. "Let me finish my drink."

He nodded. Sitting on the stool next to Lucy, Cana smirked mischievously, with a sparkle in her eyes. "Play safe, you two," the brunette teased, deliberately loud enough that every one could hear, while taking a large gulp from a keg. "And remember, the oil-based lubricants are always better!"

Lucy blushed madly. Natsu blinked repeatedly. Nearby, Levy just looked confused. "Lubricants?" The petite Mage asked blankly. "What would they use lubricants for?"

Cana just patted Levy on the shoulder. "Oh, sweetie," Cana said kindly, pointing to the other two members of team Shadow Gear. "Why don't you go ask Jet and Droy that question?"

Lucy decided quickly to skip the drink and leave before the conversation became anymore embarrassing. Still, everyone was chatting or arguing friendlily, and Lucy couldn't help but grin as Natsu took her hand in his.

They were just about to leave when they suddenly a thick, musky scent hit Lucy's nostrils. She stopped and shivered. "Wait…" Lucy murmured sniffing the air. "Do you _smell_ that?"

Natsu frowned, nose crinkled. "Yeah, I do," he muttered, his face contorting with the disgusting scent. For a moment, everything turned quiet. "Huh, what _is_ tha–"

A dull, loud thud resonated through the hall. Everybody looked towards the door in surprise. Nobody ever _knocked_ in the guild. The Mages would always just barge through the doors/windows. Frowning curiously, Gray stood up to answer the door.

The wind nearly tore the heavy wooden doors off their hinges, causing the half-naked ice Mage to flinch. In the doorway, small figure the size of a child stood, body cloaked in a large green hood. A dozen Mages stared at the small figure perplexedly. The wind seemed to rumble in the distance.

" _Trick or treat_ ," the figure chanted in a hoarse voice.

Gray just frowned in confusion. "You're a bit late for Halloween," he said sarcastically.

"Yeah…" the figure muttered, pushing down his hood. Gray's eyes widened in shock as he glimpsed greyish skin, a snake-like nose, pointed ears and sharp teeth. "That's the trick!"

The Magic pulsed. Gray barely had time to forge a shield of crystal like ice just as an explosion of sand took him straight off his feet. Everything halted just as Gray was sent skidding across the wooden floor.

Every Mage was on their feet in seconds. Elfman roared as his fist transformed into that of a scaly monster, while Cana flourished glowing cards. Lucy dropped into a fighting stance, but Natsu was way ahead of her. As soon as the goblin-like creature took a step into the guild, Natsu was already there and lashing out with a fist of burning flame.

"Bastard!" Natsu roared in fury, his eyes blazing. "No one hurts Gray but _me_!"

The sand swirled even as fire tore up the floor and the intruder had to skirt to the side. The goblin was laughing furiously, but its eyes were cold. There was a distinctly inhuman scent to it, like rotting flesh. It was outnumbered a hundred to one and surrounded by angry Mages, but somehow it was still laughing.

" _You dare to attack_ here _?!_ " A thunderous voice bellowed. Lucy barely even recognised Makarov anymore as suddenly the Guild Master expanded to a hundred times his normal size. He moved with blinding speed as a massive fist slammed the intruder into the ground. The floorboards shattered. "You dare to attack _my_ children!?"

The goblin didn't stop laughing. They all heard the crunch as bones were broken from the impact, but the creature didn't even seem to feel pain. Its voice was throaty and quiet.

"Oh, we're not attacking _you_ ," It muttered venomously, even as Makarov pressed down on him harder. "That comes _later._ This, this is just a warning."

Outside, the wind was howling like mad. This was unnatural weather, Lucy realised in shock. The sound of that unnerving, maniacal laughter just became louder. The roof trembled under gale-force winds. There was barely time to react.

In an instant, the wind tore the roof straight off. The howl was deafening as suddenly the hall was flooded with typhoon gales. Lucy glimpsed the walls being torn down as the debris scattered everywhere. Between the roar and the dust, she couldn't even glimpse Natsu anymore.

And then she managed to focus on the town. The streets were screaming. Blazing fires tore through the houses. Dark shapes roamed the rooftops. The dread hit quickly as she absorbed the situation quickly.

They weren't attacking the guild at all. They were going after the townspeople. The goblin's laughter was inhuman.

"Shoo, little _flies_ ," it crowed maniacally. "You want to save the town, don't you? You'd better _hurry_!"

The wind was howling like a roar in her skull. In the gloom, she never even noticed the dark shadow flickering over her right until a hand of darkness shot up out of the ground and snatched a dozen Mages away. The disgusting stench was everywhere. Unnatural Magic polluted the night. Lucy felt a cold dread seep through her skin.

Still gripped in Makarov's iron grip, the goblin just kept on laughing even as its bones were pulverised. For a moment, the Guild Master looked uncertain.

" _Run!_ " The goblin screeched madly. " _Now the game is on!_ "

* * *

The screams and the wind were deafening. Makarov felt a shiver run down his spine as he glimpsed at the state of the town. _This Magic isn't natural_ , the old man thought as he clenched his fists. _This Magic is demonic…_

Makarov stood in his titan form, as large as a giant. His fists were as large as trucks and the ground rumbled with every step, but it was so dark and gloomy that he could hardly even recognise the shapes that were scattering around underfoot. Debris and dust scattered all around him as the guild building shattered to pieces into the storm. A small pang of fury hit him as he looked at the ruins of the headquarters, but honestly Makarov didn't really care.

He was far too busy worrying about the Mages, and about the townspeople.

"Everyone form up!" Makarov screamed loudly, but his bellow was drowned out in the wind. Men and women were scattering around, running madly in the panicked confusion. "Keep together!"

Dark shadows launched at him from all sides. Makarov felt sharp blades sting at his heels and Magic spells bounce off his skin, but then he slammed his foot down so hard that nearby houses collapsed from the tremor. He was one of the Ten Wizard Saints, after all, and his opponents could hardly hope to match _him_. A furious bellow burst from his throat as the Guild Master sent a dozen of the attackers flying with a furious swipe.

But still, they just kept coming, clawing and launching themselves with no regard for their own safety. _These… creatures… aren't human_ , Makarov realised. They didn't feel pain, or fear.

The wind roared. In the flicker flames, Makarov glimpsed Mages racing in all directions, and the dread hit him. There was coordination to this assault. This wasn't a mindless attack. The demonspawn were taking advantage of the darkness and the confusion. They were trying to cause panic, and split the guild apart.

Around him, the walls of the building continued to collapse as the doubt gnawed at Makarov's confidence. He wasn't a young man anymore. He had no idea how many of his children might be trapped in the rumble. With every step of his titan form, he could be endangering his own precious people.

 _My children come first_. Everyone with the Fairy Tail mark was family. Makarov couldn't risk their safety. " _Fairy Tail!_ " Makarov bellowed, struggling to be heard over the wind. " _Stick together! Hunt for survivo–"_

He flinched as suddenly a dark shadow flickered towards him. Makarov slammed his hand downwards, just as the shadowy tendrils took the form of snakes and tried to entangle his legs. Shadow Magic, mixed with demonic energy. A dark haired man with a greased spiky hair, a white high-collared shirt, and cold dead eyes appeared at Makarov's feet, weaving the shadows around him.

"Erigor demands your death," the demonspawn chanted monotonously, in a voice that was chillingly polite. _Erigor_ , Makarov thought darkly. _Eisenwald_.

Erza's report came rushing back to him. _Could they have Lullaby as well? Was that the source of this demonic power?_ If so, then the whole town was in danger. They had to get out of range as soon as possible. Makarov gritted his teeth as he focused his Magic with renewed determination. The air shimmered as his body expanded to monstrous size.

 _I WILL CRUSH YOU ALL BEFORE I LET YOU HURT MY GUILD_ , Makarov promised with thunderous rage. The Guild Master grew so large his shadow loomed over everything. His eyes were white with rage. That Shadow Mage never even lasted a second before Makarov crushed him like a bug.

From his new height, he could see across the entire town. Magnolia was burning. The wind buffered him furiously, threatening to knock him over, but Makarov remained steady. The whole town was caged by a hurricane of razor sharp wind, but Makarov grit his teeth. A Wind Wall. That was quite high level Wind Magic, but it didn't matter. Makarov could break through it. There were very few things on the planet that could stop an enraged Wizard Saint.

Before he could even move, there was a rumble of thunder from below. Makarov glimpsed down just to glimpse his grandson, angrily walking from the rumble and firing powerful lightning strikes that burned through the air. Makarov could almost see the look of disdain on Laxus' face as he fired lightning indiscriminately into the night, scorching through the ruins.

"Laxus! Stop!" Makarov screamed in alarm, but the wind overpowered everything. At this point, confusion and darkness were their biggest enemies. At this rate, Laxus would do more damage to their own side than to the enemy – Laxus was just blasting everything around him blindly. His grandson wasn't the most compassionate soul.

The Guild Master screamed as lunged downwards to stop Laxus, but the arrogant blond just scoffed. "Stay out of my way, old man!" Laxus roared, unleashing a barrage of blindingly powerful blasts and Makarov. Not even the old man could shrug that attack off easily.

His body shuddered. Suddenly, Makarov felt his huge feet collide against something solid. Apparently that Shadow Mage wasn't as dead as he thought. The demonspawn was alive enough to weave shadowy ropes around Makarov's feet. Between the wind, the lightning and the panic, it was enough to make the Guild Master lose his balance. Physics took care of the rest.

Not even Makarov could fight gravity. His heart was pounding madly as the ground rushed up to meet him.

 _I'm an old man_ , Makarov thought with instant regret, just before he hit the ground. The resulting earthquake could be felt for miles.

Laxus and half the guild were almost crushed by Makarov's huge body, and the tidal wave of force buried them all in dust and debris. Makarov's eyes widened in alarm as he tripped headfirst into the wall of wind, feeling his body scream in agony as razor sharp gales tore at his flesh.

He would have been embarrassed by his defeat if it hadn't been swallowed by the ice cold dread of despair. _I'm an old man_ …

* * *

Lucy's heart pounded and her head spun as she charged into the night. With the terrified screams and burning buildings, the town looked like something out of a horror movie. She gritted her teeth as she channelled her Magic.

"Aquarius!" Lucy screamed, opening the Gate just enough to pull Aquarius' Water Magic out. She felt the power bulge through her body as even from the Spirit World, Aquarius supplied her strength. Lucy slammed her hands forward, causing a surge of water to dowse against a nearby fire.

Suddenly, a dark shape launched itself from the rooftops, crashing down with a glowing sword. Lucy blocked and sent the man flying with a whip of water, but he just got up again and charged madly.

"You belong to Erigor!" The man screamed, and Lucy could smell the stink of demonic Magic all over him. She growled as she launched a jet of water that took him off his feet.

More demonspawn charged towards her. Instantly, Lucy realised the mistake she'd made. They attacked the guild and lured the Mages into the town by going after the townspeople. Now they were picking Fairy Tail Mages off one by one.

This wasn't an attack. It was a _hunt_. Her heart pounded in terror as she launched herself at the demonspawns, tendrils of water cutting through men with ease.

Lucy moved fluidly, striking out and dancing between the blows. Every action was smooth, every attack was precise and devastating, but they just kept on coming. They never even knew what fear was. Around her, it was dark and people were screaming in terror. It was enough to unsettle her, making her reactions sluggish.

Suddenly, the ground bulged. Lucy barely had time to react just as a large, fat man with green hair launched himself out of the ground using Earth Magic, grabbing for Lucy's feet just as others tried to tackle her to the floor. Her eyes bulged in terror and she never even had time to click her fingers.

"Virgo!" She screamed, as the air glowed and the Celestial Spirit appeared in front of her. The previous, hulking gorilla woman was gone, replaced by a slender, pink haired young girl in a maid's outfit, with broken chains around her wrists. Lucy never had time to be surprised by the new appearance.

Virgo tackled two demonspawn to the ground with ease. The fat man tried to phase through the ground to escape, but Virgo was faster. She dropped through the earth and yanked him out of the floor, just for Lucy to incapacitate him with a quick, sharp kick.

Still, the demonspawn got up again. It was like anything short of complete decapication just couldn't stop them. Lucy was already panting with exhaustion. The strain of channelling Aquarius' Magic and summoning Virgo was already getting to her, and this looked like it was transforming into a long fight. She had to dismiss Virgo quickly just preserve her strength. Lucy had so many different keys, but never had the stamina to use them properly. She could have screamed in fury.

"Let's end this now!" She roared, focusing on Taurus' energy. The Water Magic disappeared, replaced by a sudden brute strength that pulsed through her muscles. She moved lightning fist, her fists suddenly so strong they sent the demonspawn scattering like bowling pins.

The hideous stench was getting stronger. It was coming from the other side of town. Lucy clenched her fists as she charged towards the source. "Let's end this…" She murmured as her legs pounded furiously through the streets.

* * *

Natsu was a blaze of fire and fury as he burned through the night. His fists crashed through buildings, demolishing everything in his path as he hunted the enemies furiously. They were everywhere, swarming the town and hunting him from the shadows.

" _How dare you hurt Fairy Tail!_ " Natsu roared furiously, spitting fire as he tore through demon after demon. They were doing everything they could to keep him disorientated. He'd lost track of everyone else in the absolute chaos, and the demonic scent overpowered his smell. He had even lost track of Happy when the building collapsed.

Still, he was too angry to look for them. There were enemies in the town and he would destroy them. His skin and eyes blazed with fire as he tore through the streets.

A cry in the night alerted him to Elfman, fighting valiantly even as demonspawn attacked from all sides and wore him down. Natsu's blood roared in anger as he charged.

"Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!" He shouted, igniting a stream of fire from his elbow to propel his fist in a blindingly fast attack. A dozen demonspawn were sent flying from the unconscious Elfman.

"You want fire?" A voice muttered from his side, and Natsu turned to see a large, yellow figure wearing blue overalls. Dead beady eyes stared at him and red hair glowed in the flames.

 _I'm fighting a giant demonic chicken_ , Natsu realised in shock, just as the creature drew a wooden staff and summoned fire from the end of it. A fireball launched the staff and blazed through the air.

"As if that'll work..." Natsu muttered, catching the fireball in his mouth instinctively, before instantly regretting the decision.

The taste was beyond terrible. The fire was worse even than the fake Salamanders. It was fire tainted by demonic Magic. Natsu's face turned blue as he collapsed to the ground on his knees, spewing out molten puke onto the cobblestones. His whole body revolted at the taste.

The demon chicken launched itself at Natsu, joined by at tall, slim man that was wielding a purple crystal ball as an awkward weapon. There was no victory in their eyes; just an empty gaze like puppets following orders.

"I see your future…" The slim man muttered as he slammed the glowing crystal ball at Natsu. "…I see women, swords and… strawberry cheesecake…"

Natsu never paid the mumblings any attention. He dodged the man and slammed his fist through the crystal ball, burying his knuckles in the man's face as the orb shattered. The chicken lunged with its staff, yet Natsu' knee slammed into its body as and sent the chicken crashing through the houses. Natsu was growling with rage as he stood up, but the demonspawn were everyway.

Suspicion dawned slowly. These guys were persistent and annoying, but weak. This was a well coordinate attack, but more like a suicide mission for the demonspawn. They were simply drones.

Natsu had to find the leader if he wanted to finish this. He glanced darky around the street, before sniffing the air for the strongest scent.

* * *

Half a dozen blades shot from Erza's fingertips, glowing with light as they burst through the air. The demonspawn tried to dodge, but the Magical blades twisted in direction and cut them down. Erza wore her Heaven's Wheel Armour, the silver plated armour flashing through the night as the demons fell quickly under her ferocious onslaught. Metal wings of blades plumed from her back, cutting down anyone that dared to come near.

Still, they just kept on coming. The demonspawn attacked with crazed fury, even as Erza slashed through by the dozens.

The redhead scowled in displeasure as she tried to get her bearings. The guild was in ruins and the town was burning. There were just so many that needed her help, but she couldn't be everywhere. A flicker of indecision passed by her as she tried to focus on the most urgent situations.

Mages were falling like flies. The master was out cold, and Cana was trying to organise a defence around the wreckage of the Guild Hall. Laxus had been squashed by Makarov, and Gildarts and Mystogan were out on missions. Mirajane had been lost in the debris, but she couldn't fight anymore anyways. Erza was the only S-Class Mage fighting. It was all up to her.

 _But this is just chaos_ , Erza realised angrily. Fairy Tail was confused and disorientated, but the townspeople needed them. Too many Mages had rushed off by on their own, only to be ambushed by superior numbers. The demonspawn fought with an unnerving coordination, sacrificing their own members ruthlessly for maximum devastation.

 _Somebody must be controlling them_ , Erza thought coldly, tightening her grip on her swords.

There was a scream from a nearby street, followed by a pulse of Magic. Erza moved quickly, using her wings to glide through the air at blurring speeds. She got their just in time to see Gray struggling against a crowd of demonspawn. One of them wore a striped pharaoh hood and attacked mercilessly with black cables whipping from his fingertips. The other had stripes like whiskers across his face and he launch blasts of Light Magic from his hands.

Gray's Ice-Make was flawlessly fast. The Mage's hands span as he generated shields and weapons of solid ice, but even despite his speed he was still being pushed onto the defensive by the suicidal ferocity of the onslaught. Erza's eyes widened in shock as one of them finally managed to get in a solid strike, stabbing Gray in the shoulder with a black cable as hard as iron.

"Black Wing Armour!" Erza cried, as the plate mail stripped from her body in a glowing light. The air shimmered as new armour Requiped on to her smoothly. Black armour with silver trimmings coated her body, with a breastplate flanking down to her hips and heavy plating over her shoulders and legs, leaving her cleavage and chest bare.

She didn't even pause as two large wings burst from her shoulders, shooting through the air with furious speed. Her hair was as crimson as blood as her blade shot through the crowd.

They never stood a chance. Erza didn't spare the demonspawn a second glance as she stepped over their bodies to tend to the injured Gray.

"You got them…" He muttered, wincing at his wound. "They just wouldn't stay down whenever I hit them."

"They don't feel pain," Erza explained with a shrug as she wiped the blood from her sword. "Brute force isn't so good. You've got to cut through muscles and ligaments if you want to stop them."

Gray bit his lip as he slammed his hand over the wound to freeze it shut. His body trembled in pain, but his eyes were determined. "We've got to stop them," he said firmly. "We can't let them overrun the town."

"No," Erza ordered sternly. Gray's eyes widened in anger, and Erza's gaze softened. "They're after us. They're trying to spilt us up," she explained. "We've got to stick together and stay calm. You're injured, let's get back to the others."

He shook his head. "It's not that simple. These are guys are _Eisenwald_ ," he said coldly. Alarms flared in Erza's mind at the words.

"Eisenwald…" she muttered in shock. "You think they managed to get a hold of Lullaby?"

"I think Lullaby got a hold of them," Gray said coolly, pulling himself to his feet. "They're not human anymore, that's for sure."

"If Lullaby is here, then everyone in this town is in grave danger," Erza murmured, frowning as her mind whirred back to everything she knew about Lullaby.

Gray nodded. The screams still echoed through the air. "We've got to stop Lullaby right now," he said, staggering forward.

Erza hesitated for a moment, before holding out her hand. "No, I'll handle it." Gray looked like he was about to argue, but then he saw the dangerous glint in Erza's eyes. "You're injured. If you want to help, gather up survivors and start evacuating. Lullaby is all mine."

His hands clenched for half a second, but then he relented. "Fine," Gray spat, cast a dark look at the burning town. "But just make sure the bastard responsible suffers for what they've done to the guild."

She cracked her knuckles. The killing intent could have cut through glass. "Oh, _I will_ ," Erza promised coldly, and for a moment Gray almost felt sorry for the bastard. Almost, but not quite.

Eraza gathered up her strength as she shot into the air, soaring with Magic as she hovered over the town. The wind nearly tore her apart as she surveyed the burning town from above.

 _If Eisenwald is responsible, then this wind must be Erigor's doing_ , she thought darkly. _And that means he's in the town somewhere._

Makarov's words rushed back to her. Trains had been disappearing. Realisation struck. Eisenwald would have had to arrive somehow.

"The train station…" she muttered, digging her heels in as she shot downwards. The wings helped keep her steady, but she used Magic to power her through the air as she dropped into the ground. Her swords were singing for blood.

* * *

The sound of screaming was delicious. Erigor sat lazily on the steps of station, laughing at the music of suffering. He could feel Lullaby inside him, like someone whispering at the front of his mind. The demon wanted to feed. The demon wanted to play its tune and be done with it.

Erigor personally preferred to torture his victims first. His hatred refused to let the damned legal Guilds get away with a quiet murder. They had to suffer pain and misery first. In the end, the demon and the murderer had compromised and agreed to play with the food a bit before mealtime. The two of them were getting along quite well, really.

Erigor still couldn't tell if the demon was possessing or if he was possessing Lullaby, but it didn't really matter. So long as their enemies died they were both happy.

It was a glorious feeling to be completely and utterly free from all emotion, empathy, and compassion. It felt like being unchained. Erigor had never felt so bloodthirsty in his life, and that was really saying something.

He felt like a monster. It was brilliant.

There was a crash from a nearby house. Erigor turned with mild amusement just to see a pink haired brat climb from the wreckage, casually dropping one of his demonspawn behind. Natsu glared at the gargoyle shape of Erigor furiously.

"You!" Natsu roared, showing no sign of fear at Erigor's monstrous appearance. "Are you responsible for this?!"

Erigor shrugged. "Yes, I suppose I a–"

Natsu had no need to hear anything after the first syllable. His body glowed with an aura of flames as he burst towards Erigor. A scream of utter fury burst from his lips as the fireball lit up the sky. Nearby trees caught flames. Erigor just smirked.

The demon's hand moved at impossible speeds. Natsu couldn't even react as the wooden fingernails wrapped around his neck and squeezed tightly. His eyes bulged. The fire was extinguished from lack of oxygen.

"Pathetic little fly," Erigor sneered smugly, raising his scythe hand. "I am _beyond_ mortal now."

The wooden blade slashed downwards. In an instant, there was a huge shape in front of Natsu, grunting as the figure blocked the scythe with a large axe. Natsu collapsed out of Erigor's grip.

"Natsu!" Lucy screamed, shaking Natsu from his shock. The Celestial Dragon Slayer charged towards him with concern, while Taurus was busy trying to hold back Erigor. Taurus' muscles were bulging from effort. Erigor didn't even look like he was exerting himself.

"I'm sorry, Lucy," Taurus grunted sorrowfully, just as Erigor's scythe hand cut through the metal axe and slashed into Taurus. The Celestial Spirit returned to the Spirit World in a flash of light.

"Fools," Erigor said arrogantly, approaching with slow, casual strides. He only managed three steps before suddenly a blade stabbed itself through his back, protruding out of his shoulder. Erigor just looked mildly annoyed.

"And what was _that_ meant to do?" He muttered, just as his neck twisted around a hundred and eighty degrees with a creepy creak. He smirked at Erza, standing behind him and looking shocked. He barely appeared to notice the sword sticking out of his body.

Lucy, Natsu and Erza glanced at each other in alarm, surrounding Erigor cautiously. No one moved.

"What is _that_ thing?" Lucy muttered in breathless horror, eyes wide. "Is it monster?"

"Why, yes," Erigor grinned. "Yes, I am."

Around them, the screams roared through the air. The wind howled like a beast. There was insanity in Erigor's three eyes. Lullaby demanded souls. His grin was maniacal.

"You _flies_ don't seem understand," he sneered. "I could have killed you all whenever I wanted. I was just playing around a bit first. But now… Now it's time see how tasty your souls are."

Erigor took a deep breath. From the holes in his body, a faint melody slowly started to ring through the air. The sound distorted everything with darkness. Erigor laughed with bloodlust as Lullaby started to resonate.

" _Now it's time to sing!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: 'The Night of the Demon'


	7. The Night of the Demon

With a grunt of exertion, Loke slammed his fist into a demonspawn's face, just as his emerald ring flashed with light that sent the creature crashing to the ground. The street was a mess of debris and flickering flames, casting shadows across the night as Loke ran quickly towards the Guild Hall. The demonspawn seemed to be thinning, but somehow that wasn't encouraging. Not when that hideous noise rang through the town…

It was the worst noise Loke had ever heard. It sounded like bloody nails screeching on a chalkboard, scraping down to the bone. It was so intense the Loke felt like his ears were about to bleed, but somehow he kept on running towards the toppled ruins of the Guild Hall. The Magic was thick in the air, dark and unnatural, resonating with the music.

The guild had been torn to pieces. The roof was ripped off in the wind and the walls collapsed to rubble. Loke felt his stomach churn in dread as he scrambled over the ruins. The whole place seemed eerily quiet. It was like that sound was sucking the life out of everything around him.

"Master?!" Loke shouted loudly, squinted as he peered into the gloom. "Mira?! Anyone here?"

There was no response. _I should have been here_ , Loke thought furiously, _I should have been able to protect the guild_. After being trapped so long from the Spirit World, Loke's Magic had almost completely depleted. Even without it, Loke was still a very capable fighter and he could hold his own with his Lacrima ring, but he never had the strength he once possessed as 'Leo the Lion'. He was weaker now than he had ever been, and it had taken so long to fight through the demonspawn.

There was a faint noise from inside the guild, barely audible over the hideous music. Loke's eyes widened, before quickly leaping down the rubble and running towards the noise. "Master!" Loke shouted in relief, watching the old man stagger against the ruins of the debris.

Makarov looked older than Loke had ever seen him. His face was gaunt and pale, while his eyes were red. The old man was panting heavily as he struggled to stand, as if a huge weight was pressed onto his shoulders.

"…Loke?" Makarov murmured weakly, taking an unsteady step. He had ripped his hat in half and was using it for earmuffs. His ears were bleeding. "…How…?"

There were other noises around him. Loke glimpsed Laxus on the second floor, cursing repeatedly as staggered to his feet. The other guild members were littered around the room, all unconscious and pale. Cana was trembling slightly, but the rest looked dead to the world.

"Bastard…" Laxus growled in a weak but angry voice. "… I'll kill the bastard for this… I'll scorch him into cinders…!"

Lightning sparked around him, but it was a weak crackle compared to his usual thunder. Realisation struck as Loke felt the Magic around him. Whatever this noise was, it was disrupting everyone's Magic.

"Your Magic…" Loke muttered, grabbing Makarov's shoulders to steady him. "It's being drained…"

The Guild Master gulped as he looked at Loke with desperate eyes. "…This Curse… Demonic Magic…It's powerful…" He said in a strained voice. His Magic was being depleted faster than he could focus it. Only Makarov and Laxus had enough raw power that they could still move despite their Magic being drained, while everyone else was knocked out cold. Makarov focused on Loke with wide eyes. "… How are you immune…?"

 _Because this is obviously a type of Magic that affects_ humans, Loke almost answered. Spirit Magic was made out of a different stuff. "It's complicated," Loke replied lamely after a second's hesitation. He bent down to pick Makarov up. "Come on, I'll get you out of here."

"No!" Makarov snapped, pointing behind him. "Save _them!_ Their souls won't last long in this."

"Souls?" Loke frowned, focusing on the unconscious Fairy Tail mages. Magic was the power from the soul. This music was sucking out people's souls by draining their Magic. The thought made Loke's muscles twitch and his heart pound.

For half a second, Loke hesitated with the complete hopelessness of the task. He couldn't carry everyone, and he had no safe place to take them anyways. There was no telling how far the sound would travel. He couldn't save everyone.

"Save the ones I can," he muttered quietly, before rushing to check Cana's pulse. Around him, Mages were starting to tremor and convulse in sharp seizures. He tried covering their ears, but the sound cut straight down to the bone. Loke could only stare helplessly, mind racing in desperation as he struggled for some solution.

One by one, they all started to convulse. Laxus managed clamber outside weakly, while Makarov struggled to perform a protective ward. Loke tried desperately to place the thrashing bodies out safely, all the while that hideous noise resonated around him and his comrades thrashed madly on the ground.

And then, Loke slowly realised that there was only one person in the room that was completely motionless. He frowned as he turned to face the white-haired woman, leaning against the bar with her head covered by her hands.

"…Mira?" Loke asked quietly, but she didn't respond. He had thought that Mirajane was unconscious, but she was far too still for that. She was sitting on the ground, hair a mess, slouched forward with her long legs dangling on the ground. Her dress was tattered and dirty, and Mirajane looked completely helpless, but there was just something… _off_ about the picture.

"Mirajane, are you alright?" Loke asked, moving closer until he saw the faint, barely visible tremble in her hands. Slowly, she raised her head slightly, and Loke glimpse a blood red pupil hidden under a curtain of white hair.

 _This sound is demon Magic_ , Loke thought slowly. Mirajane's fingers gradually began to curl into claws. The air was saturated with pure demonic energy…

Of course there was _one_ person in the guild who would be completely immune to it.

"…Um… Mira?" Loke asked nervously, edging backwards. Sharp horns started to grow from the halo of Mirajane's white hair. Her whole body was rippling. "…Are you… uh… _human_ …?"

Mirajane's bones cracked and shifted. She moved her hands away from her face, revealing blood red lips and razor sharp teeth. Loke's eyes widened in shock, just as two huge, leathery wings burst from her back. Loke gasped. _The Demon_ looked bloodthirsty.

" _Holy…_!"

* * *

 _Move_ , Lucy told herself desperately, but her body felt like it was being torn apart from the inside. Her vision started to blur as she fought frantically against the sound tearing through her soul.

Not even the thunderous howl of the wind could compare to soul-piercing sound. Lucy's vision started to blur as she glared upwards to the monsterous figure of Erigor, standing above them. Natsu was next to her, on his knees and struggling to stand, while Erza managed to stay standing but she was staggering weakly with every step. Both of their eyes were wide and panicked, bursting with pain as their whole bodies trembled.

 _The noise is killing them_ , Lucy realised, watching Natsu gasp for breath. Her heart was pounding like a drum in her chest. Above them, still standing on the steps of the train station, Erigor smirked as his demonic eyes glistened with joy.

"Beautiful!" The demon murmured hungrily. His scythe arm acted like a flute, pumping air out of the holes in his skin, while that unnatural energy was so intense it was paralysing. Erigor breathed in deeply, sucking the Magic out of the whole town. Lucy winced in pain.

"So much Magic! So _rich_!" Erigor was practically drooling as the awful music resonated around him. "Oh, there are so many strong souls here! This… is… _delicious_!"

Erza growled in protest, staggering forward quickly. Her eyes shone with fury and her scarlet hair was wild as she charged, yet Erigor just lightly swatted her to the ground. Erza looked like she was in agony, unable to use Magic, but her muscles clenched and her fists tightened as she fought to stand up again.

Erigor just scoffed. "Erza 'Titania', huh?" He mused. "You _are_ strong. Most can't even move against this Lullaby." He looked at her curiously, like a bird of prey sizing up a particularly delicious rat. Erigor smirked smugly, his talons scraping against the stone ground. "I'll eat your soul, but it's such a shame to waste your body. Don't worry, I'll turn you into a demonspawn. I'm sure you'll be very…" Erigor licked his lips lecherously, his forked tongue rolling lecherously across pointed fangs. "… _useful_."

Erza snarled like an animal, hair cover one eye as the other dilated in rage. She couldn't Requip any weapons, but she still found the strength to jump forward, her fist swinging furiously. Erigor caught the blow almost lazily, before knocking her into a heap with a sharp kick.

" _ERZA!_ " Natsu roared. Every vein bulged on his forehead and smoke billowed from his body. " _DON'T YOU DARE HURT HER!_ "

Lucy could see the strain on his body as he staggered upwards, but the fire still flickered across his fists. He slammed his fist forward, catching Erigor on the side, but the demon simply knocked Natsu to the ground with a backhanded strike. The blade of the wooden scythe stabbed into Natsu's shoulder as he dropped to the ground.

"Fools," Erigor mocked, glaring between Natsu, Lucy and Erza like they were a group of insects. His eyes shone with insanity. " _I_ am a _demon_ now. An Etherious, born from the power of Zeref, if you want to be technical. With the power of Lullaby combined with mine, I can use _both_ Magic and Curse. I am more than a demon, I am a GOD! This song is the Curse of _Mass Murder_ – the power to devour the souls of everyone that hears this music!"

Both Erza and Natsu tried to stand up again. Lucy had no idea how they managed it. The agony was so intense she could barely breathe. "Think of it like a straw," Erigor taunted. "This Curse is like a straw that drains the Magic out of your body. When all of your Magic is gone, then it sucks out your soul instead. It is the most painful way to die possible."

His grin widened. "Of course…" Erigor continued, almost conversationally. "Over such a large area it is a _bit_ less effective. You may have as much as ten _whole_ minutes before you finally die."

Even if he was talking like a man, Lucy could see the demon underneath the surface. Erigor might think he was in control, but Lullaby was running the show. The cause didn't matter, Lullaby just loved killing. Erigor could feel the suffering around him and he loved it.

"They will be the most agonising ten minutes of your life," Erigor promised with a maniac smile.

The guild. The townspeople. The horror of the thought made Lucy's blood run cold. She tried to cover her ears but it was useless. Even if Makarov could find a way to protect the guild, everyone else didn't stand a chance. It would be a massacre.

"I am the scythe of vengeance," Erigor proclaimed, eyes glinting with fanatic frenzy. "It is time you legal guilds suffer the consequences of forcing us out of the light!"

Lucy's hands were twitching. Both Erza and Natsu were on their feet again, trembling madly, but Lucy couldn't even stand. In terms of raw Magic strength, the other two Mages were much stronger than she was. No one else was close enough; they had to defeat Erigor before everyone died. It was all on them.

 _No_ , Lucy thought with determination; _it is all on_ us.

Suddenly, the image of Annika flashed before her eyes. The Celestial Dragon sparkled with starlight as she swirled beautifully in the air. Her body was translucent, and her wings shone like the night's sky as they washed over Lucy. She could instantly hear Annika's voice in the back of her mind, as calm and as quiet as ever.

 _The Celestial Dragon_ , the memory of Annika's voice was a clear as ever, _is the only creature that exists in_ both _worlds at the same time_ …

Just like that, clarity struck.

It took everything Lucy had, but slowly she managed to focus on the Spirit World, pulling it closer. She closed her eyes, concentrating as her heartbeat started to calm down and the Spirit Magic started to dance across her skin. The air sparkled as she phased herself into the other dimension, and then the pain vanished. The noise didn't disappear, but it couldn't cut through her anymore.

Slowly and carefully, Lucy stood up, her eyes narrowing in determination.

Erigor was laughing. He was laughing right up until the moment when Lucy slammed her fist into his skull.

"Celestial Dragon's…" Lucy screamed, forcing the starlight from her knuckles in a blast like a laser beam "… _Claw!_ "

The impact shattered the stone pavement as the brilliant white light washed Erigor away. In an instant, the demon shot through the air, colliding with a stone pillar in a cloud of debris. Lucy took a deep breath. Erza and Natsu stared at Lucy in shock. She just tightened her fists, pushing her blond hair backwards and pulling off her jacket.

With a crack, Erigor crawled out of a demon-sized whole in the solid granite of the train station. He wasn't smug anymore. "But… But…" He stammered, staring at Lucy with disbelief. Her outline was sparkling with starlight. "… How could you…?"

"Because you drain human Magic only," Lucy replied coolly, dropping into a fighting stance. "Spirit Magic isn't so digestible."

The aura of the Spirit World surrounded her, glimmering in the darkness. Lucy was effectively summoning herself in the same way she summoned Celestial Spirits. It was a constant, exhausting drain on her energy, but it could protect her from Lullaby's curse.

Erigor's demonic face contorted with rage. "You think you can beat me just because you can use your Magic again?" He roared, drawing his scythe across his body. "I will devour you the old-fashioned way!"

The demon loomed over her. Sharp wooden teeth jutted from his mouth. He was monstrously large and hideously deformed, pulsing with demon energy. Lucy took a deep breath, trying to judge how much strength she had left. There wasn't much, and she was burning through it fast.

"No; I can't beat you," she muttered. She glanced towards Erza and Natsu, still wincing in pain with the sound. "Not alone."

She turned quickly, gathering Spirit Magic into both her hands and then grabbing Erza and Natsu by the shoulder. Her body protested with the exhaustion, but she fought through it. Lucy took a deep breath and screamed at the top of her lungs.

" _Blessing of the Celestial Dragon!_ "

The white light was so intense it cut through the darkness. The power ripped through the Spirit World, and suddenly Lucy collapsed in exhaustion.

In an instant, strong arms caught her before she hit the ground. Natsu was above her, his body smouldering with determined flames. Erza was standing next to him, dual blades flashing into her hands as white armour appeared around her.

They were both surrounded in a halo of Celestial Magic, glaring at Erigor with pure rage.

"Lucy, you –" Natsu muttered, gently lowering her to the ground. The fire and starlight covered his body like a glittering shroud.

"You can thank me by pounding this punk into a pulp," Lucy interrupted with a smile, her hand lingering on Natsu's shoulder affectionately.

"How long will this last?" Erza demanded, glaring at Erigor with unblinking eyes. The aura of Spirit Magic covered everything, even her swords. The Armour Mage looked angrier than Natsu had ever seen her.

"Long enough," Lucy promised, as the three of them all focused on Erigor. Around them, Lullaby cut through the night. "We've got about nine minutes before everyone dies," Lucy warned darkly.

The night howled with wind and fury. Natsu's body exploded in flames, the fire burning so hot that the air crackled. His gaze was murderous.

"He's not going to survive nine minutes," the Fire Dragon Slayer muttered coldly, slamming his hands together as the street exploded in flames.

* * *

The blade of wind cut through the ground with ease, sending chunks of stone flying with every slash of his scythe. Even as the earth was shredded into chunks around them, Natsu and Erza charged together with a furious combo of fire and steel.

"Burn, wooden bastard!" Natsu screamed, just as his elbow exploded in fire, propelling his fist forward with breakneck speed. The wind wrapped around the demon like a tornado, suddenly lashing out with a ribbon of air that swiped Natsu away. "Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!"

The Fire Dragon Slayer hit the ground running, charging at Erigor without hesitation. "Fire Dragon's Claw!" He bellowed, slamming a burning foot upwards at Erigor's back. The wind deflected him easily and sent him scattering to the ground. Natsu just gritted his teeth and pulled himself up again.

"Fire Dragon's… Brilliant…" Natsu took a deep breath, generating fire in both palms. The heat caused the air to haze. "… _Flame!_ "

His hands slammed together with enough force that ground cracked. An inferno of fury exploded outwards, but Erigor just smirked and waved his hand. There was a hiss of air. At once, the fire sizzled out and vanished before it could even get close.

"Fool," Erigor smirked, while Natsu just looked confused. "As if _fire_ could ever beat _wind_."

Natsu growled as his whole body blazed red with fire. Erigor flexed his fingers again, and the fire sizzled out. Natsu's eyes bulged with shock, clutching at his throat as the air was pulled out his lungs.

"Fire can't survive without air," Erigor taunted, as Natsu's face slowly turned red. "And with the power of a demon behind me, I'm stronger than ever. My wind can rip the oxygen out of any area. Your Fire Magic is useless against me."

Natsu's face contorted in fury, every vein bulging as he staggered forward, desperate for breath. Erigor smirked, right up until the moment a flurry of blades collided against his arms. A dozen metal swords sliced into his wooden body, leaving a crisscross of cuts three inches deep. Erza was there in a second, clad in her Heaven's Wheel Armour as her swords flashed in the night's sky.

"You dare?" Erigor growled, slicing outwards with his scythe. The air slashed around him like a living animal, striking out with claws of wind. It was fast and brutal, but Erza danced around him. By the time Erigor even managed to react, a dozen swords buried themselves into Erigor's chest.

For just a moment, a flash of worry flickered across the demon's face. Erza was barely visible; the Titania was a storm of swords cutting from every side.

"Storm Mail!" Erigor bellowed, just as his body disappeared under a shroud of cutting wind. The force was enough to send Erza flying backwards, her blades clattering against the ground. A dozen projectiles of slashing air lashed outwards, so vicious that a dozen swords split into pieces.

" _Wind Empress Armour_!" Erza shouted, as her silver armour disappeared, to be replaced by loose fitting silvery robes with a yellow slash, clearly revealing her voluptuous body. A silver lance flashed smoothly into her hands and she was charging forward, cutting through the air and hacking forward with a blade of wind of her own.

"Dumb little fly," Erigor snarled as he swatted the attack away easily. " _Die! Storm Shred!_ "

A barrage of spinning blades of win launched from his body. Erza barely had time to dodge as the wind cut up her robes, but she was behind Erigor in an instant, cutting downwards with her lance. Erigor twisted around quickly, blocking the lance with the blade of his scythe and pressing down against Erza. She grimaced as she clutched her blade with both hands to try and hold him back; his strength was insane.

"Dumb little fly," Erigor repeated quietly, his lips twisting upwards in a mocking grin as he inched his scythe closer to Erza's face. Her hands were trembling.

"You will not hurt her!" Natsu screamed loudly, jumping in from above as the flames spat around him. He took a deep breath. "Fire Dragon's–"

"I told you; it's _useless_!" Erigor snapped, flicking his wrists out as the fire extinguished with a dying gasp. Natsu's flames disappeared, leaving him helpless in mid-air as a whip of wind send him crashing to the ground.

Lucy screamed in shock, but a sudden gust of wind sent her scattering away. The wind was so powerful that each gust carved gouges into the ground. Even the solid stone of the train station was being torn apart. The night howled with the demonic music and the roar of the storm.

"Stay back, Natsu!" Erza ordered, as the lance disappeared and two curved blades Requipped into her hands. Erigor's scythe shot outwards, but Erza ducked underneath his arm and stabbed into his body with her blades. Erigor didn't even seem to feel the blow, charging into her with a shoulder barge and slamming the scythe downwards into her face. Erza had to drop her swords to grab a hold of the scythe blade. The knife-edge bit into the palm of her hands, drawing blood.

Erza kicked outwards, but Erigor took the blow like a monster. Quickly, his other hand shot outwards, clutching Erza by the neck. His clawed fingers bit into her skin as his hands wrapped all the way around her neck. Erza's aura of Spirit Magic flickered in protest against his touch; trying to absorb the damage as the glittering outline started to waver.

"Listen closely," Erigor muttered. The music was still pumping from the holes in his arm, fuelled by the air. His whole body was like a giant church organ, so loud that Erza's ears were nearly bleeding. "That sound… that is the sound of all those people dying in agony…"

His voice was unhinged and bloodthirsty. The demon was slowly consuming the man. Erigor grinned evilly. "It sounds delicious, doesn't it?"

She could feel his breath on her face. Erza fought against his grip, but his strength was insane and she could barely move as she held the scythe blade back. Her heart was pounding furiously. Erza's eyes were pure fury, red hair spilling madly, wrestling against the demon.

"You're going to die now," Erigor promised, inching the sharp wooden blade closer. "What a shame you won't get to hear the chorus, but it will be–"

A loud shriek split open the sky. Erigor frowned with confusion as he turned. Erza recognised the noise, but it was one that she had never expected to hear again. There was a barely a second's warning as an insane amount of Magic power dropped on to them.

Suddenly, Erigor disappeared and two demons collided with a howl of power. Erza's mouth dropped open as she recognised the locks of wild white hair whipping in the wind.

" _Mira?!_ " Erza muttered in shock, but the Mage was no state to listen. Mirajane's eyes were bloodshot and primal, even as she slashed outwards with clawed hands. The raw Magic was suffocating.

It had been so many years since Erza had seen Mirajane release this side of herself. Erza had almost forgotten how completely terrifying it was.

Mirajane's body was completely transformed into her demon form, but it wasn't her well-refined Satan Soul. It reminded Erza more of her early years, before Mira learned to control her Demon Take Over. This form was wild and animalistic. Sharp horns jutted from her head, bat-like wings spilled from her shoulders and her body was covered in scales and claws. Her eyes were pointed and her pupils were slits. A large, spiked tail burst from her back, and her pointy teeth filled her mouth as she snarled. The friendly, absentminded barmaid was gone – Mirajane was completely demonic.

 _She lost control_ , Erza realised dumbly. Mirajane had always wrestled against the darker, demon persona. She kept the ruthlessness hidden under the surface, but it had never vanished. Every Take Over Mage feared actually becoming the beast, and Mirajane had always been the strongest Take Over Mage around. All the demonic energy in the air had pushed her over the edge – Mirajane had finally lost control.

"… Mira..." Erza asked uncertainly, barely audible over all the noise. The two demons clashed furiously, wrestling with monstrous strength. "… Are you… ummm… are you _sane_?"

She never answered. Mirajane was too busy trying to rip Erigor limb from limb.

"Who are you?!" Erigor demanded, all three eyes bugling in shock. Mirajane roared as her claws cut into Erigor's chest, throwing up sparks. Erigor cut out with his scythe, but Mirajane barely even noticed.

"You dare to face _me_?" Erigor demanded furiously, striking outwards with a blade of wind. "I am a _demon, bitch!_ "

The blast of wind was as sharp as an axe. Mirajane swatted it inside easily as she barrelled towards Erigor, tearing through his Storm Mail with ease.

" _ **You're not a demon**_ …" Mirajane muttered in a deadly quiet voice, speaking for the first time. Her voice was cold and gravelly. Mirajane clutched his chest tightly, physically heaving his huge body into the ground like a ragdoll. The earth exploded into dust. Suddenly, Mirajane was on top of him, eyes glowing with fury.

Her knuckles slammed into Erigor's face with a dull shockwave. "… _ **You just try too hard**_ …"

Mirajane opened her mouth, generating a huge amount of Shadow Magic. The air shimmered as the power charged into a blast of pure darkness. In that brief moment before the world exploded, Erigor gulped. Mirajane's eyes were merciless.

"… _ **bitch**_."

In an instant, everything blacked out. The raw Magic dissolved straight through the ground, pluming into a huge orb of Magic that swallowed the whole train station. Lucy could only stare at the scene in awe as the energy caused tingles to run down her spine. For a moment, the demonic music finally stopped.

When the dust settled, Mirajane was hovering in the sky, gliding on the updraft with gentle beats of her wings. Erza staggering upwards, glaring at the crater with dark eyes. For a few seconds, everything was quiet, but then there was a blast of air and the melody of Lullaby started again, slow, dark and terrible.

"No…" Lucy gasped, wincing as she felt the music try to cut through her blessing. Her Magic was running dangerously low. As soon as it ran out, Natsu and Erza wouldn't be able to fight anymore.

With slow footsteps, Erigor slowly walked out of the smog. He was bleeding from the forehead, or at least oozing. His blood was black and as thick as tree sap.

"I am beyond any mortal," Erigor growled slowly, his voice as low and as threatening as the rumble of a storm. His body was covered in scratched and cuts with half a dozen of Erza's blades still stuck in his chest. "I will send all of you flies into oblivion. I am beyond a demon."

The music was slowly building in crescendo, rumbling towards a chorus so loud that the earth rumbled and the sky split open. Erigor's three eyes shone purple as he glared towards Mirajane and Erza. " _I am death_ …" Erigor muttered coldly.

There was a pause. Erza took a deep breath, and suddenly the Wind Empress Armour disappeared, replaced by black, heavy metal plate armour covered in spikes – the Purgatory Armour. Her left eye glinted in the darkness viciously.

"Mira, I don't care if you're sane anymore," Erza muttered quietly, as the Titania and the Demon took positions against Erigor. "First we'll kill this freak and then we'll sort everything else out later."

Erza took Mirajane's low growl as an agreement. Erigor roared in fury as the wind howled around him, so powerful that foundations of the train station were torn apart in an enormous tornado. It was a met by a blast of Shadow Magic erupting from Mirajane's hand, tearing the wind apart as Erza charged in. Instantly, there was a giant spiked mace in her hands, as she slammed it downwards towards Erigor.

The earth trembled.

* * *

Mirajane and Erza fought like monsters. Natsu vaguely recalled the stories of the fights of their youth; explosive duels that lasted for days on end. For the majority of Natsu's time in Fairy Tail, Mirajane had been the kind, considerate woman that the whole guild turned to for comfort. The sight of the _other_ side of her personality left him speechless.

The battle was immense. They tore through the ground and burst across the streets. Natsu and Lucy were left watching from the outside of the station, while the fight carried into the railways towards the west side of the town. Even at this distance, the wind slashed around them furiously. Natsu could barely see Erza dancing through the air in a flurry of blades, while Mirajane launched wave after wave of purple Shadow Magic blasts. Erigor never gave an inch, parrying blows with his scythe as the wind only grew in intensity.

Natsu could only watch in amazement. He had prided himself at holding his own against Erza while she was fighting at full strength. Apparently, she had been holding back.

 _This is an S-Class level battle_. The sight left him speechless.

"Wow," he muttered dumbly, feeling the ground rumbling around him. _And I thought I was the same level. Am I really this far behind?_

Lucy was next to him, her face pale as she struggled against the drain of Magic. She could barely move with the exhaustion. "Natsu…" Lucy croaked quietly. "The blessing won't last much longer."

Natsu hesitated, glancing down at his hand. The glistening aura of Spirit Magic still covered his skin, but it was fading quickly. Once Lucy ran out of Magic, both Erza and Natsu would be vulnerable to Lullaby's Curse. After that, Mira would have trouble beating Erigor by herself.

_How long before the Mass Murder Curse finally kills everyone in the town? There couldn't be much time left._

His hands tightened into fists. His whole body tensed as he glared towards Erigor. "Just stay safe," Natsu muttered quietly, pausing to kiss Lucy on the cheek. Her skin was pale and sweaty. "It's time to finish this."

"Natsu…!" Lucy exclaimed, but he was already running away, feet pounding off the ground as he sprinted towards the whirlwind. The wind threatened to sweep him away, but Natsu's feet exploded with fire that propelled him forward.

He could see Erigor. The demon was clad in furious air currents covering him like a shroud, repelling Erza's attacks with his scythe as the wind fought to restrain Mirajane. Erigor took every blow and just kept on going, while Erza struggled to break through the Storm Mail. Natsu could barely breathe as he forced his way forward.

"Natsu!" Erza shouted in concern, flashing her mace back and forth in immensely destructive blows. "Be careful!"

"Brat!" Erigor looked smug even as he fought three against one. With a flick of his wrist, a vacuum of air hit Natsu with destructive force. The flames vanished in a dying flutter but Natsu didn't stop powering his way through the headwind. "Your Magic is useless against me!"

The force nearly pulverised Natsu into the ground, yet the adrenaline powered him forward. _I'm not at S-Class level_ , he thought with gritted teeth, as he jumped forward into the wind; _but I will be!_

Erigor didn't even have time to look surprised. The wind shredded the skin on his arm, but Natsu couldn't even feel it over the pounding of his heart. In an instant, Natsu's hand punched through the Storm Mail and grabbed a hold of Erigor's throat.

" _Magic?!_ " Natsu growled, just as his other hand slammed into Erigor's face. "Who the hell needs _Magic_ to beat the crap out of you?"

The blow took Erigor completely off-guard. It was enough for him to lose his focus and for Mirajane to break through the wall of wind. Mirajane went left while Erza swung right, and the combined assault sent Erigor crashing into the ground.

Natsu never lost his grip on Erigor's throat. Even as the demon clattered to the ground, Natsu was on top of him. His fist was slamming down even before Erigor hit the earth.

"Fire Dragon's Grip Strike!" He screamed, punching his knuckles downwards at close range. His fist landed with a satisfying crunch.

His arm was pouring with blood. His whole body was exhausted. Natsu was gasping for breath as he straightened upwards, standing between Mirajane and Erza coldly.

Erza's gaze was surprisingly gentle as she glanced towards Natsu. "Natsu, are you ok?" She asked in a quiet voice.

Natsu forced a grin against the pain. "Of course I am," he said simply, lightly touching Erza's hand. "Now let's finish this bastard."

A low growl burst from Erigor's throat as he staggered upwards, oozing from a dozen wounds. Two of his three eyes had been punched out, but the third one shone with furious intensity. The demon looked absolutely crazed. The demonic Magic only grew more intense.

"Foolish human…" Erigor muttered, but his voice had changed. It sounded colder, more wooden, and even less human. "Can't do anything right…"

Mirajane charged, slashing out with her clawed hand in an arcing uppercut. The demon caught the blow and slammed his elbow into Mirajane's chest with a dull thud.

"Erigor obviously failed," the demon muttered coldly, pulling the scythe upwards and his mouth twisted in an insane grin. "Pathetic humans can't do anything right. Lullaby is in control now!"

Erza smashed her mace down, but the demon – Lullaby now – parried the blow with his scythe. "Give it up!" Erza bellowed. "It's over!"

"Oh yes, it is," Lullaby laughed maniacally, face contorted in evil delight. "You're out of time!"

It took a few seconds for Erza to realise what he meant. Slowly, she felt her body freeze up as a sudden force pierced through her body. The music had always been there, but now she could feel it again. Her face paled as she glimpsed the final glimmers of the Spirit Magic aura flicker away. Within seconds, her strength faded as Lullaby's Curse cut through into her soul.

Both Erza and Natsu dropped to the floor at the same time, twitching as they struggled against the Curse draining their Magic.

"I guess this means that that Celestial Mage has finally ran out of Magic," Lullaby said gleefully, casually kicking Erza away. He raised his scythe, ready to strike downwards. "Oh well – you die now."

He struck downwards, but Mirajane was there in an instant. She shoulder barged Lullaby and tried to force him to the ground, but he turned and struck outwards. The demons wrestled furiously, struggling together in a storm of wind, shadows and claws.

The music felt like it was carving up Natsu's flesh. His heart was pounding, his lungs were gasping, and his muscles were twitching, but he couldn't move. It took everything he had just to stay conscious against the pain that tore through his body.

Erza was lying next him. Without Magic, the Purgatory Armour was falling off her. She was trying to stagger upwards, but her limbs were trembling so badly she could barely move. Her face was pale and her ears were bleeding. Natsu had never seen her look so weak before. The sight caused his blood to boil.

"…Er…za…" Natsu groaned weakly, quietly reaching out towards her. Even as he stretched out his fingertips, they couldn't touch.

The melody was reaching its peak, louder and more terrible than ever. It hurt worse than ever. Natsu thought desperately how much time was left. There wasn't much. There must be less than three minutes left before the whole town lost their souls.

 _Move_ , he thought furiously, driving his limbs to respond by pure force of will. _I have to move now!_

Slowly, Natsu managed to crawl upwards, weakly pulling himself over the lumps of debris scattering the railways. _Lucy_ , he thought desperately. He had to reach the Celestial Dragon Slayer again. _I need the Blessing of the Celestial Dragon to finish this fight_.

There was a sudden crash behind him as Mirajane slammed into the earth. Natsu never even saw the fight, but then Lullaby was walking away triumphantly. His heart was pounded furiously as he tried to crawl away, staggering over the rubble, while the heavy footsteps approached from behind.

"Well, this has been annoying," Lullaby chuckled, as the music intensified around him. "But it's worth it! This town is so delicious! A beautiful banquet! I don't really care about Erigor's whole crusade, but he picked a tasty target."

Erigor was right behind Natsu now, and walking slowly. Natsu was in no state to fight; he just had to reach Lucy. The demon looked almost amused.

"There's one minute fifty-five seconds left now, if you're curious," Lullaby said happily, raising his leg lazily. "But don't worry – you won't live to see it. You annoy me, brat, so I'm just going to kill you now!"

Bird-like talons rose into the air, before striking downwards with sledgehammer force. Natsu's heart stopped. His eyes bulged. Time seemed to slow down. He couldn't move, he couldn't dodge, and then those claws were slashing into him.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to blaze. He wanted to fight. He had never felt so helplessly weak in that moment when the claws shot towards him. Images of Igneel, of the guild, of the old man, of Lucy and of Erza all flashed before him.

 _I'm so sorry_.

"NATSU!"

There was a dull thud, a crunch of bone, and a sickening scream.

Natsu blinked, and suddenly Erza was in his arms. He had no idea how she managed to move so fast. He could barely move, but somehow Erza managed to shoot across the railway. Her foot slammed upwards, catching Erigor's blow in a desperate attempt to shield Natsu.

Her leg cracked trying to stop the attack. Suddenly Erza was in Natsu's arms; her leg broken, mangled and twisted the wrong way as she screamed in agony.

Natsu had never heard Erza scream in pain before, not like this. It was a sound that overpowered Lullaby.

"…Erza…" Natsu muttered breathlessly, staring at the red head clutching his chest tightly. Her right leg looked completely shattered. Erza was whimpering in pain. The Fire Dragon Slayer felt his mind go blank.

 _This is wrong_ , he thought dumbly, _Erza can't ever be in pain_.

"Natsu, just…" Erza's voice trailed off helplessly.

Lullaby was laughing. The sound caused Natsu's blood to boil. His heart kicked started again, pounding with a vengeance. _Erza needs me_. The thought alone was enough to force him to move even despite every muscle and nerve screaming in agony.

He had no idea where he found the strength from, but somehow he managed to stagger to his feet, clutching Erza so tightly his fingers left marks on her shoulders. Every step felt like a goliath task, but he just put one foot in front of the other until he shambling towards the ruins of the train station.

"Don't worry, Erza," he gasped weakly, cradling her body in her arms. She felt so light without her armour. Her skin was deathly pale. "It'll be alright…"

The demon was still chuckling. "Sixty seconds, brat!" Lullaby jeered, casually strolling behind him. Natsu just gulped and get on walking.

Mirajane was down, Erza was injured, Lucy was exhausted. Everyone else was incapacitated, and there would be thousands of deaths unless he did something. It was all on him.

 _My friends need me_. The thought was as powerful as a bulldozer running through his head.

 _And I need them far too much to ever let them down_.

"You are a fool," Lullaby taunted, walking after Natsu calmly. "You could never beat _me_. I am from the Book of Zeref – I was the final creation from the Black Wizard himself before his 'sealing'. I might have been left incomplete for four hundred years, but make no mistake, brat; I _should_ have been one of Demon Gates of Tartarus itself."

Natsu had no time to listen. It took everything he had just to put one foot in front of the other. Lullaby sounded almost drunk with ecstasy with all the Magic he was devouring. "You humans have no idea what's coming," Lullaby mocked. "I was _there_ four hundred years ago. My Curse was made as a means of unsealing E.N.D. itself, before that whole debacle with Zeref and his brother. As soon as I've regenerated my full power again, I will take my place at the Gates of Hell."

 _I will not let you hurt anyone I care about_ , Natsu thought furiously, but he didn't have the breath to say anything. He just gritted his teeth and kept on walking.

"It will be _glorious_!" Lullaby screamed, and the hurricane roared in agreement. The devastated town start to echo with screams as all those souls were levered out of their bodies. Natsu winced, trying desperately to fight against the Mass Murder Curse. "I've already kick-started the end of the world! _My_ awakening is only the first – Tartarus itself will be rising out of the underworld early!"

The demon hesitated, glaring at Natsu curiously and realising the Dragon Slayer wasn't listening. "Oh well, not that you care," Lullaby conceded. "You only have thirty seconds left to live."

Natsu shambled through the ruins of the train station and staggered towards the devastated steps. Around him, the town was screaming. Lucy was lying draped across the granite steps, unconscious and shivering. Natsu almost collapsed as he approached, still cradling Erza in his arms. Erigor stood at the top of the stairs, watching him with vague amusement.

"Lucy!" He bellowed, shaking the Celestial Dragon Slayer roughly. She groaned, but there was no time to be gentle. "I need the Blessing of the Celestial Dragon Slayer right now!"

Her eyes were unfocused and weak. She was suffering massive Magic depletion. Natsu felt his stomach clench in dread. "Lucy!" He screamed desperately, dropping the unconscious Erza to the ground as he clutched Lucy's shoulders. "Now, there's not much time left!"

Lucy blinked. Her face was pale and sweaty; her blond hair was a mess that draped across her head. Her pupils were dilated, struggling to focus. "I don't have much Magic left…" Lucy admitted weakly, slurring her words.

Around him, Natsu glimpses silvery translucent shapes soaring through the night's sky; souls torn out of their bodies by the music. Lullaby was laughing furiously, mouth wide open to feast. Natsu felt so weak he could barely breathe. It felt like his heart was being torn out of his chest.

Lucy hands clutched his shoulder tightly. They were sitting right next to each other, so close he could see the fear in her eyes and feel her breath on his face. "… but you can take whatever I have…" Lucy whispered quietly, just as she pressed her lips onto his.

The kiss was so sudden it took Natsu completely off-guard. Her taste was overwhelming, her lips soft and gentle, and then she breathed into him and time seemed to stop.

Starlight, so brilliantly white and pure, rushed out of her lips and into his. Without even thinking about it, Natsu swallowed.

The feeling of their Magic meshing together was a rush of exhilaration that set his blood ablaze. Natsu's eyes shot open, feeling the burning flames and the glistening starlight dance over his skin.

It was pure power the likes of which he had never felt before. It felt like he had swallowed the heavens itself. Suddenly, he was connected straight to the Spirit World, and then it all exploded into flames.

Lucy fell limply out his arms. Natsu couldn't even control he influx of power, but he managed to aim it. He turned to face Lullaby with furious determination, slamming his hands outwards as his whole body blazed into radiantly white flames.

Even the demon flinched with the intensity of the light. Quickly, Lullaby flicked his hand forward and Natsu felt all of the oxygen pull away from him. The pressure nearly crushed every bone in Natsu's body, but the Dragon Slayer was far too high to feel anything as mundane as pain.

"Don't bother!" The demon crowed. "Your Magic is useless against mine! Fire can't burn without _air_!"

 _Actually, that's not true_ , Natsu thought with a weird serenity, as he felt the power swell within him. It was like a chain reaction bursting in size exponentially. _There was_ one _type of fire that could blaze even without oxygen_ …

Fire and Celestial Magic meshed together like it had never done before. _The one type of explosion that could dominate the night's sky…_

With every scrape of strength that he had left, Natsu slammed his hands together. All of that energy detonated out of him. At the top of his lungs, he bellowed a single word…

" _ **SUPERNOVA!**_ "

In an instant, the whole town was flooded by spectacularly white, unbelievably hot flames.

Then, everything went black for Natsu.

* * *

_Six hours later…_

In the remains of the guild building, the Mages of Fairy Tail stirred sluggishly. They had all been seconds away from having their souls devoured, and most woke up so exhausted they could barely think. The Mages were all suffering severe Magic depletion, and the assault had been so sudden that they couldn't even remember it properly.

The building was wrecked. There were barely any walls still standing and the roof had been ripped straight off. The whole town of Magnolia looked like it had been bombed into ruins.

Loke was the only Mage just about completely unaffected. He was left playing nursemaid to the bomb-shelled Mages, while also rummaging through the town for survivors. Erza, Natsu, Lucy and Mirajane were all missing, and nobody had the manpower or the strength to start a search party.

It was early dawn by the time Loke managed to even stop for breath, but the work was just beginning. Most Mages were only just starting to wake up, yet Magnolia was wrecked. The townspeople would need aid, and the guild had barely survived itself.

The only other Mage to stay conscious the entire night was Makarov. It was a testament to his strength that the Guild Master managed to resist Lullaby's Curse. The old man spent the storm standing at the front of the building, desperately trying to cast sealing spells and wards to protect his family from the Mass Murder Curse. Makarov had been so delirious with panic and exhaustion that he still wasn't sure if his efforts had actually accomplished anything.

No one was certain what happened. The most anyone could say for definite was that they had been attacked and that there was a storm. Everything else still had to be pieced together.

"Master!" Loke called, panting breathlessly as he ran up to Makarov. "I've checked everyone over; most of the guild seems alright. They're exhausted, but their souls seem intact."

Makarov nodded distractedly. The short old man was standing on a chunk of rubble, staring out over the horizon. The morning sunlight was still creeping over the town.

"Have I gone senile, Loke?" Makarov asked quietly, staring unblinkingly off into the distance.

Loke stared at him in confusion. "What?"

"How about Alzheimer's?" Makarov pressed. "Some sort of brain damage, maybe?"

"No!" Loke protested, before hesitating slightly. "…Well, I don't think so, at least. What's going on?"

Makarov slowly raised his hand and pointed towards the west horizon, into the distance on the other side of Magnolia. Loke turned to stare at the empty landscape, staring confusedly.

"I know that I'm old…" Makarov admitted slowly, scratching his head. Everything west of the train station on the edge of the town had seemingly vanished. "… But I was pretty damn sure that there _used_ to be a mountain range over there…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: 'Strawberry Cake'...


End file.
